The Forbidden Girl
by Hayashinkage17
Summary: She's a forbidden offspring from a forbidden relationship. She was never told about her mother from her father. As forbidden as she were, her father was so protective to her. But as time goes by, the truth about her biological mother would be revealed. Join Shinhana Kobayakawa as she went on an adventure and learning the truth about her mother
1. Prologue

The Forbidden Girl

Summary: She's a forbidden offspring from a forbidden relationship. She was never told about her mother from her father. As forbidden as she were, her father was so protective to her. But as time goes by, the truth about her biological mother would be revealed. Join Shinhana Kobayakawa a.k.a. Jiyōtana Kobayakawa as she went on an adventure in Sengoku era, to search for and learn the truth about her true mother.

 **Disclaimer and Warnings: Samurai Warriors is owned by KOEI, and for this fic, I assumed Hayakawa was born at 1535. I only owned my OC.**

 **This is NOT a Historical Writing, so this won't be historically true.**

Aki, 1560

She was a cheerful girl, as if she had almost no problems on her life.

She was so calm, just like the seas on the territory of Mōri.

Yet inside, she kept a lot of secrets, which might be hard to bear. She can't be said as a normal girl on those days.

No, not about her physical problems, she had nothing special on her body.

Not about her emotional behavior either. Her family was too nice and was too protective to her to left her with a trauma. Her father, Takakage, was a loving and caring person, and was so protective to her. She was his treasure, and she loved him as much as he loved her.

The same goes for her mother, Toida no Ōkata. At first she was a bit neglected due to certain reasons, but Lady Toida eventually accepted her as her daughter.

If you squint, you would find something interesting at the last sentence: "Accepted her as her daughter.", well isn't she her daughter already?

Now, here's where the abnormality could be seen.

The girl, with the name of Shinhana Kobayakawa, was not Lady Toida's biological daughter. But as we know, Lady Toida was the only legal wife of Takakage Kobayakawa.

Then how could it be? Does Hana (the nickname for Shinhana) have a mother? Who was her mother?

The answer was quite shocking, because her mother was separated very far away from her and her father. She lived at the great castle of Odawara in Kantō, that's more than 500 miles from Aki.

She was none other than the daughter of the Lion of Sagami.

She was Hayakawa Hōjō, daughter of Ujiyasu Hōjō.

Now, how could this be? How can Hayakawa be her mother, while Takakage was her father, and the two were separated that far?

* * *

It all started with a friendship. Although they were separated very far, but they always have a way to contact, especially when Mōri did request an alliance with the Hōjō. They were still very green at that time, they were innocently wrapped in a ring of friendship.

Then as time goes, it didn't go as planned. They were building up their own romance, despite their knowledge that they can't. Ujiyasu was already planning on an alliance with Takeda and Imagawa, although it was realized years after, and Motonari was also planning not to lengthen the alliance duration.

In 1549, Ujiyasu was starting to know about this romance, the one that he had never thought would happen on one of his daughters.

He couldn't back down from the alliance plan, so knowing this plan, Ujiyasu was really struck down and was angered. He tried to stop them.

But it was all too late. One thing that even the couple haven't known had already emerged at that time.

He couldn't stop it. It was all too late.

His daughter, which was going to be a part of the alliance with Takeda and Imagawa, was pregnant, and even Hayakawa herself haven't known.

Ujiyasu had some choices at that time. He could just allow an abortion to the baby inside his daughter.

He can't.

She was his daughter. He will never put his daughter on a traumatic process. He would be called a merciless father if he did.

So he just did what he could, letting his daughter bear his first grandchildren, and secretly took care of the baby.

But it can't last long. The Hōjō was going to make an alliance with the Takeda and Imagawa, in which Hayakawa was going to be married. Of course the Takeda and Imagawa couldn't know about the baby, let alone the fact that the baby was having a bloodline of the Mōri, which they have no relation on.

They finally fetch an idea to send the baby to her father, which was already back in Aki. Although Hayakawa couldn't bear the sadness of letting her daughter leave, but for the sake of the Hōjō, she had to let go.

Days later, the baby arrived with a messenger towards the Mōri household. This shocked the entire house, even Motonari couldn't believe what his youngest son had done. But one who was shocked the most is Lady Toida, which was at that time had just married Takakage a year before.

Had Takakage couldn't prove himself to be a loving husband, maybe Lady Toida could request an end for the marriage.

It didn't happen. Takakage was too kind and loving to her. And the marriage didn't end that time.

Starting from 1552, Lady Toida would have to accept the fact that she had a stepdaughter. She was their first child, but Lady Toida was still reluctant to call Shinhana as her daughter. Only then in 1554, Lady Toida finally accepted her.

And at the same year, Hayakawa was married to Ujizane, as part of the Alliance requirement.

So, in other words, Shinhana was an offspring of a forbidden relationship. Her father haven't told her about this fact, worrying that it will mentally damage her.

* * *

Outside Mōri's Castle

Hana was sitting under a Sakura tree in the garden. She was 10 years old at the time, so she had known that she was in a warring period, especially when his grandfather, Motonari, kept going for battle. Sometimes his father joined too, leaving her with her mother

Her stepmother, to cite the fact.

Being a girl living in a war era, and having a family who went for battle very often, Shinhana always wanted to go on a battle herself.

Alas, she's the first child. She was a very precious treasure that Takakage and Lady Toida prevented her to do anything that might cost her life. That includes battle.

Moreover, she's still too young to go for battle.

* * *

She was still daydreaming under the tree when a young man approached her. "Hana, it's getting dark, let's go inside."

"Give me a second, Father." Hana replied softly, still collecting all her soul after the daydreaming.

She stood up and followed her father inside the castle.

"Uh, father?"

"Yes?"

"When will this war be over? I mean you always went off for battle for long, and I was always left behind in the castle. I wish I could spend more time with father."

Takakage was a bit surprised on his daughter's question. "Hana, I don't know when this war will be over. I, too, wanted to spend more time with my family. But, it's just, sometimes battles never saw times, and we can't guess when should we go for one."

"Then, why don't you let me join on the battle, Father? We can spend even more time together."

"Hana, battles are dangerous. It sometimes could cost you your life. I can't afford to lose you, you know. You could just stay with Mom, and be safe."

"And letting father endanger your own life?" Hana replied a bit sternly. "Dad, I can't afford to lose you too. We can just go to battle together, and let us cover each other's backs."

"But..."

"Please, father?" Hana pleaded. Takakage was losing words, surprised on how his little daughter was now growing up to be clever and determined.

Just like Hayakawa.

She's Hayakawa's daughter too, after all.

But she's not mature in age. It is still forbidden for her to go on a battle. But he couldn't just rejected her alright.

"Okay. When your age requirement is fulfilled, I will let you join on battles. But try not to be rash and hear my cautions."

Hana nodded.

Both of them didn't know, that this decision will lead her to uncovering her unbearable secret in the future.

 **A/N: This ends the Prologue. Please Read and Review. I myself could sense that this writing looked like rubbish, and needs a lot of improvement. Please leave constructive reviews and NOT flames.**


	2. Reluctance and Pining

**A/N: No reviews? Well it's okay, I know I did badly. But I won't back down and I'll do my best to continue this story**

 **Here's Chapter 2!**

 **DC: Samurai Warriors is KOEI's Possession. I own nothing but the plot and OC.**

 **Warning: OOC-ness, Crack Pair, Not a Historical Writing**

Chapter 2: Reluctance and Pining

"Please tell me you're joking, Takakage-sama." Lady Toida was surprised on her husband's decision. "You can't just let Hana join you in battle. It's too dangerous out there! She might get killed as the battle progresses."

"I know, Toida-dono. I myself couldn't believe I just say that. But she just pleaded to join our battles. I know it's dangerous, but..."

"Takakage-sama, you and I know that we can't afford to lose our only child. She's our responsibility, although she was not conceived by me. If we just waste her life by sending her onto the battlefield, shouldn't we be called irresponsible parents?" she continued.

"In contrary, sending her onto the battlefield is another test for us and for her. I am ready if I would be considered as a strict and ruthless father by sending his only child to battle, but on the other side of the coin, however, she could learn about responsibility, determination, setting goals, obeying other people..."

"And how to kill people?"

"That's not on my list." Takakage replied. "My own style of victory is achieving your goal with the least amount of sacrifice. I won't teach her to be so rash that she would kill anyone who dared to go against her will. I'm teaching her not to be a demon."

"In that case, I'm counting on you, Takakage-sama. But remember, easier said than done, but I believe you could do it. I know that she'd be capable under your guidance." Lady Toida replied.

"Thank you, but as strong-willed and determined as she is, she'll still need you. Although you're not her birth mother, she already recognized you as her mother. You meant a lot to her. So please take part in this difficult test, together.

Lady Toida was still reluctant. But despite her doubts, she walked closer, planting a kiss on her beloved, and softly whispered

"I will"

* * *

Odawara, 1563

It's a peaceful day in Kantō, either outside and inside Odawara Castle. Sounds of laughter and glee could be heard almost on the entire province.

Outside the castle, sounds of children playing could be heard, while inside, sounds of training between some Hōjō members and other kinds of sound could also be heard.

In one room, Hōjō Ujimasa and Hōjō Ujikuni were training inside the room. Their little brother Saburō was watching them.

"Hyaaah!"

"Aaaaargh!"

"Clang!" a sound of clash between two training blades could be heard, it wasn't long before Ujimasa recovered after the clash and landed a clean hit to Ujikuni, bringing him down.

"Ujikuni, are you hurt?" Ujimasa asked, feeling guilty on the hit

"No...I'm alright...Ouch! You're good, brother." Ujikuni praised after recovering from the hit.

"That "Ouch!" was telling the contrary." Ujimasa replied. He checked his brother's body and found a narrow cut on his rib area. "You've got a clean cut there, Ujikuni. Saburō,"

"Yes?"

"Could you ask Hayakawa _a_ _ne-ue_ to bring some first aid?"

"Alright." The seventh son of Hōjō Ujiyasu replied and rushed towards his sister's room on the third floor. In the room, Hayakawa was sitting on a tatami with a photo of a baby on her right hand. Her eyes were a bit watery, as if she was crying.

" _Ane-ue_!"

"Wha...uh, Saburō, you scared me!" Hayakawa exclaimed as she put back the photo frame on the drawer near her, and wiping a little tears on her. "What is it?"

"Can I have some aid kits? Ujikuni _ani-ue_ was injured during training." Saburō requested.

Hayakawa's eyes widened. "I...Is he alright?"

"Well, Ujimasa did say it was a narrow cut."

"Oh, that's a relief. But even as small as a cut could be infectuous. I'll cure him myself."

Hayakawa took the first-aid packet and went for her injured brother. As she did so, Saburō scooted to her sister's drawer, looking at the picture that his sister tearfully look at.

"A baby? And is that _ane-ue_? If so, the baby, is that me?" Saburō thought. "If it is me, then why _ane-ue_ teared up? I probably should ask her."

Meanwhile, Hayakawa was curing her brother's cut. The lady of the Hōjō was known for her ability to cure people, so it was nothing hard for her just to cure a narrow cut.

"Hold out a little more, Ujikuni. I'm almost finished."

"Ergh! O...Okay." Ujikuni winced as Hayakawa tried to cure the wound.

"I'm sorry, Ujikuni. I was too reckless." Ujimasa apologized.

"No, it's okay, I'm the one which is reckless. I should've dodged the blow." Ujikuni replied. "Anyway, where's Saburō? Isn't he going to your room, _ane-ue_?"

"Um..."

"Does anybody call my name?"

The siblings turned to see their youngest brother at the door. "Ah, there you are, Saburō."

"We'll I'm here." Saburo grinned. "Anyway, I've just seen a photo of _a_ _ne-ue_ with a baby. And before, when I entered _a_ _ne-ue'_ s room, she looked at it with teary eyes. Who is the baby, is that me?"

The other siblings were shocked. With Hayakawa being the most.

"So you're already looked at it, so I can't hide it from you. But please don't tell anyone from the Takeda or the Imagawa, except my husband."

"Why?"

"You can figure it out yourself."

Hayakawa then told him about the baby, from how she was born, her bloodline, her identity, and the last time she was ever touched before she was sent off. The whole explanation, especially the last one, made Hayakawa tear up again, the older siblings feel sad, and Saburō be surprised.

"Let me get this straight. So, the baby is your daughter, and that mean she's my niece? And she got the blood of Kobayakawa flowing in her veins? And she was sent back to his father when she was 2 years old?" Saburō quickly stormed his sister with numerous facts.

"All of them are true, Saburō." Hayakawa replied.

"Well, this concerns me. Hana was born on 1550, that's thirteen years ago. So she's an adult now. That is, if she was still alive. Did you think that Takakage person took care of her pretty well? I mean, although he's a Kobayakawa, he's still a Mōri, and Mōri these days always went for battle and neglected their families, sometimes sending their children to another families' adoption, which happened to him himself." Ujimasa asked.

"Well, I'm optimistic he would take care of her well. In the past, when we're still on a relationship, he took care of me very well, like his own family..." Hayakawa replied.

"Aww, looks like someone missed her first love." Ujikuni sang, earning a smack from Hayakawa.

"That's rude.", Hayakawa scolded, earning a mouthed "Sorry" from the younger brother.

"Anyway, I bet the same goes with him taking care of her." Hayakawa continued.

"Well, a fatherly care and a relationship care is different, but I just hope he did take care of her well." Ujimasa replied again.

"I sure do. I really want to see her again one day, before I died."

"Well, why don't you ask father's permission to sail to the Mōri household? Then we can have the chance to see her." Saburō offered.

"We can't. Different from us, the Takeda and the Imagawa have no relation to the Mōri. While we're on this alliance, if we somehow caught contacting the Mōri, then we'll be considered betraying and the Takeda and the Imagawa will wage war against us." Ujimasa replied.

"We're lucky that Lord Ujizane, Hayakawa _ane-ue_ 's husband was so kind to keep this a secret. Who knows what happen if he didn't want to accept the fact that his wife had already bear a child before." Ujikuni continued.

"Oh..." Saburō frowned.

"Well then, should we continue training again?" Ujikuni asked.

"That came out from an injured man. No, of course. You need to rest and let the wound heal up." Hayakawa replied.

"S...Sorry, _ane-ue_. I guess I should go into my room instead."

"You can go."

As the brothers went off, Hayakawa stayed in the training room, talking to herself.

"I know you'll be back to me, someday, somehow. Until then, please take care of Hana for me, until the day we can meet each other again."

"Let us continue living to our fullest, doing our best for our families, that's our promise before you left, remember."

* * *

At the same time, in Aki

"Father!" Hana called on to his father, which was looking to the east.

"Yes, Hana?"

"Look at this!"

Hana showed him a sakura-pattern two-sided spear. "Isn't this pretty? I can't wait to use this in battle."

Takakage looked at the spear and smiled, although he hid a glimpse of worry inside.

"Ah, what a nice weapon. I sure hope you can use it well."

"Thank you. Don't worry father. I'll slay the enemies and bring victory to us with this spear, until peace can be achieved!" Hana exclaimed, before heading back to the castle due to her mother calling her.

Takakage just sighed.

"This won't be an easy test."

He looked back to the eastern sky, in the direction of where he assumed Odawara was.

"I've heard your voice in your heart. Thank you for remembering our promise. I'll take care of her well, until the day we meet again."


	3. Nagachika Nomi

**A/N: Firstly, Thank You KimiAshinhurst for favoriting my story! This makes me feel more determined to finish this story.**

 **Secondly, sorry if the story took longer to update. My laptop broke down recently and needs about two days to repair, and moreover, I'm still trying to think of more plots by looking at historical writings and playing SW4-II, but it takes time for me to think for one.**

 **Thirdly, I'll insert an OC and an unplayable character in this chapter, Munekatsu Nomi, which is the commander of Mōri Forces in the 1st battle of Kizugawaguchi. He'll play an important role in this story because he's a chief retainer to Takakage Kobayakawa, but at the same time is a retainer of the Hōjō clan (although I'm still a bit confused if this is correct, but hey, this is Fanfiction, not a historical site, so why not?).**

 **Enough for the unneeded speeches from me and Here's Chapter 3**

* * *

Chapter 3: Nagachika Nomi

Aki, 1568

It was a clear-weathered day in Aki. In the Mōri Household, Shinhana and her stepmother Lady Toida was inside a carriage, carrying them to a port nearby in Aki. They went there due to a messenger sending them some news, that Takakage had just gone home after the battle.

After they arrived, they went out from the carriage onto the pier, where Takakage and his brother, Motoharu had just unloaded their stuff from the ship which carried the back from Torisaka. The two sons of Motonari was tasked in reinforcing the struggling force of the Kōno from the Utsunomiya clan, and they achieved victory in the battle, although then the Kōno domain was then usurped by the opposing clan.

Just as the family stepped out from the carriage, Hana immediately ran for her father, ultimately embracing him tightly. Takakage knew his daughter missed him that much, but as cunning as he is, he knew another reason why his daughter acted like that.

And, no need to explain, because immediately after they parted, Hana glared at her father and asking him a lot of questions, including the most obvious one:

"Why didn't you bring me to battle, Father? Didn't you promise that I can go to battle when my age was ripe enough?"

Takakage felt a pang of guilt on his chest, "Hana..."

"I'm 18, father! I'm now an adult! I can take care of myself now. And I'll do so even in a battle!

For years, I've been waiting for my father finally sent me for battle, but that's nothing more then just a dream." Hana exclaimed.

"Hana, let me explain..."

"I want to be like father, I want to do what father do, giving the best for Mōri and Kobayakawa clans."

"And Kikkawa..." Takakage interrupted.

"Yes, and the Kikkawa clan. I want to protect them, but why did father never give a chance to do so? Did father have no reliance on me? Did father think I won't be able to do that?"

"I never said that, and let me explain." Takakage was now getting stern. "Hana, I know you can do the best for Mōri. I know that you have such determination for protecting them. I know you have the ability to do so. But, think of this: You're my only child, my treasure. I can't afford to lose you on battle."

"You've said that years ago. I'm not a little girl anymore, father. I can control myself and I still have you, father."

"True, what you said is true. But actions speak louder than words. Do you really think you can control yourself in battle? And here's another reason: The Torisaka battle was not a planned battle, which means I can't ensure your safety. To send you there for your first battle was not a wise move and could threaten your life. You need to foresee this consequences, every threats and possible outcomes, Hana."

Hana was now silent, trying to digest the words into her mind.

"Now Hana, do you understand?" Takakage asked in a calmer tone.

Hana just nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry, Father."

"Alright. Now, let's go home."

* * *

A few days later

Hana was training in the training field of the Mōri siblings. Her uncle Motoharu was resting after the battle and Takakage was reading a book in the library, which means that the training room was not used, and Hana, with the permission of her father could use it for training. She was still using a wooden spear due to her recklessness, even after 5 years of training. This is not uncommon, yet because Hana was a tall-and-slim-statured young maiden without buff muscles, so for her using a spear was not an easy task and needed a very long time of training.

She began to swing and thrust her spear onto multiple training dummies and tree trunks, not an easy task for a non-buff girl, but easy enough thanks to her determination for going to battle. More and more cuts on the dummies and trunks was made as she swung for the nth time, only then once her grip loosened and the spear flew on a direction. She knew this was possible since she hadn't mastered in using the weapon yet. What Hana didn't expect is that there's someone on the direction where the spear flew.

"Whoa! Look out!"

The man was quick enough to dodge the flying spear, and it was stuck on a tree trunk behind him. "Whew, that was a close one. You needed to be more careful, Shinhana-dono." The man said.

"Sorry, Nagachika, didn't mean to hurt you. And please stop the formalities." Hana apologized as she approached the stuck spear, trying to pull it off but to no avail.

"Need any help with that?" Nagachika offered.

"No thank you." Hana said as she tried harder, again to no avail.

"You're stubborn, you shouldn't do everything yourself, Hana. Let me help you." Nagachika said as he grabbed the spear, and pulled it out together.

"Thanks, Nagachika. By the way, why are you here? Can't you see I'm training?"

"Oh, sorry if I interrupted you. My father had just come back from Kantō a few days ago and your father called him for a meeting. I guess they're planning for a battle."

Hana was surprised, "Really? Planning a battle?"

"I guess so."

"Man, why didn't father include me again? Should I repeat the words that I'm ripe and ready enough to go for one? Excuse me, but I'll confront father myself."

"Wait, Hana-dono." Nagachika tried to stop her.

"Don't stop me, Nagachika."

"At least hear this, your father WILL include you in this battle."

Hana stopped and looked back at Nagachika. "What do you mean? How can you say that my father will include me in this battle while he didn't include me in the meeting?"

"Because, he wanted you and me to train for battle instead of attending a meeting which didn't discuss much of the battle."

"Oh." Hana stopped before realizing the sentence again, "Wait, you said that you and I are going to train for battle?"

"Um...that's what my father said." Nagachika replied. "So, in that case, will you accept the honor to be my sparring partner?"

"Hey, that sounds like you're better than me." Hana pouted.

"Well I am, aren't I?"

"Oh, check out Mr. Cocky." Hana mumbled. "Okay, I'll accept, and I'll make you take back that words."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Nagachika replied as he took out an arrow-head spear and a bow, his specialty weapon.

* * *

At the same time, in the castle.

A man on his forties were entering a room. Inside, there was his lord, Takakage, along with other retainers from Shimizu, Kobayakawa, Kikkawa, and any other clans with the same allegiance to Mōri. Takakage's brother, Motoharu was also visible in the room.

"Ah, Munekatsu-sama, we've been expecting you." Takakage said. "Take a seat, the meeting's going to start soon."

Munekatsu took a seat near Takakage, since Munekatsu was the chief retainer to the Kobayakawa clan head.

The meeting lasted for quite an hour. After it ended, everyone except Munekatsu was dismissed.

"Munekatsu-sama, may I talk about something?"

The chief retainer was a bit surprised, "Sure, my lord. What is it?"

Takakage took a seat and sighed. "Both of us know that other than us, the Mōri, you also worked with the Hōjō, which explains why you went back and forth from Aki and Kantō. Um..."

Munekatsu knew very well that his lord was having some troubles involving the Hōjō. Being a retainer for quite a long time made Munekatsu knew about his lord's problem, that includes a forbidden affair between his lord and the lady from Hōjō household, which results in a girl which was separated from her mother.

"My apologies, Takakage-sama, but are you thinking what I am thinking?"

Takakage smiled, "So you know about the topic of our discussion."

"M...my apologies, I'm not trying to be rude."

"No you aren't. Anyway, this battle of Tatarahama will be my daughter's first battle. And you know, as her father, I'm really worried about her. Our enemy was the famous Ōtomo clan, and they have the mighty Jōun Takahashi on their side. I don't want her to be rash and reckless which might cost her life..."

"Um, there's a point there, its a fatherly anxiety. I bet the same goes to her mother. I think Takakage-sama should try to comfort her as well. As about the rash and recklessness, I think she will need someone to accompany her as her guardian."

"Which is why I called you here." Takakage replied. "Can I trust you to be the guardian for my daughter on the oncoming battle?"

Munekatsu thought for a bit.

"Um, pardon me, but I think I can't be trusted to such a task. I'm an old warrior, whose spirit had gone old too. It might be hard to keep up with your daughter's vigor. I considered that my son, Nagachika will be suited well with the task, if you please."

"Ah, yes, Nagachika Nomi. I liked that spirited boy, as vigorous as his father." Takakage said as he looked out the window, to the training field where his daughter and Munekatsu's son were training.

"You fluttered me with your words, Takakage-sama." Munekatsu replied. "My vigor has been long gone."

"I disagree with that. You still had that vigor inside you. Either you saw it or not, it goes back to you." Takakage replied. "So, alright, I'll assign your son to be her guardian. Can I request his appearance, along with Shinhana's, if you please? "

"I'll call both of them. Pardon me, please." Munekatsu replied as he exited the meeting room.

"Oh, and Munekatsu-sama,"

"Yes?"

"Could you send this letter to the lady of the Hōjō the next time you leave for Kantō? I haven't seen her for almost 18 years and I wonder how she is." Takakage said as he gave a packed letter

"All right." Munekatsu replied.

 **That ends Chapter 3. Sorry if I stopped it not at the right time, but I'm still drafting on the speeches and I decided to put them in Ch. 4.**

 **Anyway, I'll limit the HanaXNagachika fluffs because this story will be focused on her reuniting with her birth mother, although Nagachika will play an important role too, along with his father.**

 **Please R &R! Constructive critics and reviews are very welcome while flames are prohibited. Thank You**


	4. Protection to the Truth

**A/N: OMG Thank You so Much Scarlet 'n Blossom** _ **senpai**_ **for following my story. I'm really honored.**

 **Here's Chapter 4!**

Chapter 4- Protection to the Truth

* * *

Aki, 1568

The two young adults were still training in the training field when Munekatsu approached them.

"Nagachika, Shinhana-dono,"

Nagachika heard the call and stopped, whilst Hana unfortunately didn't and landed a blow to Nagachika's arm.

"Argh!" he winced in pain, startling Munekatsu and Hana herself.

"Nagachika, are you alright?" Hana asked as her soft hands reached the newly-made wound on his left arm.

"I...I'm fine." Nagachika then stood up, with Hana's help. "Actually, my father's here, that's why I didn't block your blow."

"You looked so sure you can block it." Hana said, before realizing that Munekatsu was near her. "Oh, Munekatsu-sama. I...I'm sorry for hurting your son."

"Doesn't matter, Hana. You don't need to apologize." Nagachika cut her off. "Anyway, why are you here, father?"

"Takakage-sama wanted to see you both."

"F...Father wanted to see us?:" Hana asked."I hope we will discuss about the battle."

"You seem so eager to go to battle." Munekatsu said. "Maybe it's going to be fun for ones who had no experience for it. But when you go on for another time, you'll find out that it's not the best choice to go onto battle."

The young adults said nothing. They just went inside the castle to meet Takakage. From afar Munekatsu just smiled sadly.

"So eager to go to battle, so eager to learn from it. I bet Takakage-sama has his own reasons. But what will the lady of the Hōjō think?"

* * *

In the castle

"Takakage-sama, you called for us?" Nagachika asked as he and Hana sat in front of Takakage.

"Yes, and this is quite important so listen carefully." Takakage then took a scroll and show it onto them.

"This is the battlefield. I have discussed the strategy and other things with the veteran warriors. You just need to know your post and tasks."

"I'm going to battle! I'm going to battle!" Hana's mind was on an euphoria.

"Hana, are you listening?"

"W...Wha...sorry father." Hana replied.

"Okay, so for this battle, the two of you will be in charge at the garrison near our main camp here, together with Munekatsu-sama. However, your main task is to protect Tachibana Castle when we finally took it in our hands. Do not force yourself to do so. If the situation is dire, you can retreat from the castle."

"So our job is just to protect the garrison and the castle, right?" Hana asked.

"Yeah, but this won't be an easy job for your first battle, Hana. Our enemy was the mighty Ōtomo Clan, this could be a tough fight. And since I can't lose you here in this battle, I'll assign Nagachika to be your protector."

"What?" Hana exclaimed in shock. The same goes for Nagachika

"Hana, Nagachika was well-trained and was more experienced in battle than you. He already knew about flows in battle and how to react on the battle. So you can learn a thing or two from him, and let him protect you if something goes wrong, okay?" Takakage calmed his daughter.

"Hana, being under protection doesn't mean you gotta stay all day-doing nothing. You can also take your part on this battle, like usual officers. The difference is only for dire situations, I'll be in charge to lead you to safety, nothing more." Nagachika explained.

Hana was still not happy, but for the sake of her father and her family, she finally accepted.

"Okay, so I'll assign Nagachika to be Hana's protector, will you accept the honor, Nagachika?"

He thought for a while, readying himself for the task.

"With all respect, I will accept the honor."

"Okay then,the battle will be in about four days. Hana, you may go. Nagachika, your father wanted to see you. You should meet him immediately, he said that this is very important."

Both young adults nodded and they went on their separate ways. Hana went onto the training field again, while Nagachika went to his father's room.

* * *

In Munekatsu's room.

"Did father want to see me?" Nagachika said.

"Yes, this is quite important, here take a seat." Munekatsu replied. "Take this band-aid to cover the accidental scar on your arm."

"No thanks, it doesn't hurt." Nagachika replied.

"Just use it." Munekatsu ordered.

Nagachika then wore the band-aid. Then his father opened the conversation.

"So, Nagachika, I assume Takakage-sama already assign you as Hana's protector?"

Nagachika nodded. "This won't be an easy task."

"I agree with that. For a special girl like her, this task surely was a challenge."

"A special girl? Why is she special?" Nagachika asked.

"Uh well, she needed a protection physically and emotionally."

"I can understand about the physical protection." Nagachika replied."But, why emotional protection? She didn't have any trauma or something like that, right?"

Munekatsu sighed, "She doesn't, but her existence herself is a trauma."

Now Nagachika was getting confused. "I'm not following you, father."

"Okay, let me get this straight. What do you know about her parents?"

"Uh, easy, Takakage-sama is her father, while Lady...well, I forgot about Takakage-sama's wife's name."

"Lady Toida." Munekatsu chided.

"Yes, Lady Toida, is her mother." Nagachika continued. "Am I right?"

"Okay, right. Now about her appearance, like her hair, her eyes, or something like that, do you recognize something?"

"Um...well, what I know is her hair is slightly darker than Takakage-sama's, but I think it's common because Lady Toida's hair is black."

"What about her eyes?" Munekatsu asked.

"Father, why do you ask this? I..."

"Just answer the question." Munekatsu replied.

"Um, well, her eyes were...if I'm not mistaken,..blue, like a sapphire. I admit it, her eyes was beautiful." Nagachika blushed for a bit, before continuing. "Aren't Lady Toida's eyes also blue?"

"Well, here's what makes it interesting, Lady Toida's eyes are brown, and so do Takakage-sama's eyes." Munekatsu said, earning a wide shocking look from his son.

"Wait a minute, that's not possible, except either Hana is adopted, or she gets it from her grandparents."

"Neither of them. The truth...well...is quite complicated. But I'm really sure you will be familiar. So after I told you this, I need you to protect her both physically and emotionally, and never say it to anyone else." Munekatsu replied.

"Why?"

"You'll know soon enough."

"O...Okay."

"Hana, well, was Takakage-sama's true child, but not Lady Toida's. The proof is that Hana was born at 1550 while Takakage-sama married Lady Toida at 1551 on an arranged marriage of the Mōri and Kobayakawa."

"Really? So Takakage-sama had already been married before he married Lady Toida?" Nagachika asked.

"Well, it's hard to say, but no, his marriage and the only marriage was with Lady Toida."

"Then, how come?" Nagachika was getting more and more confused.

"It was a forbidden affair of love, Takakage-sama even never anticipated that Hana would be born." Munekatsu replied. "Believe it or not, we have ever seen her true mother face-to-face."

Nagachika's eyes grew wide, "R-Really?"

"Yes, even we saw her very often." Munekatsu replied. "I bet you must've already known if you see her eyes."

"Sapphire blue eyes...the only female I've seen which has blue eyes is Hana herself." Nagachika tried to remember.

"Really, think again, remember everyone that we had met before, especially the ones we saw very often.

"Well, let's see, from the Mōri household...Lady Gōryu...no...I...I can't remember." Nagachika sighed.

"Try to remember. We worked not only for Mōri." Munekatsu clued in

"Oh, right, the Hōjō too. From the Hōjō, I've only met...w...wait a minute..." Nagachika suddenly remembered something. "Lady Hayakawa, Ujiyasu-sama's daughter had blue eyes, right?"

"True, quite true." Munekatsu replied, his weight might have been lifted.

"It can't be, so Lady Hayakawa was Hana's true mother?" Nagachika replied.

"You're absolutely right."

"But, she was way back at Kantō, so she was separated from her own daughter?"

"Probably. Imagine if Hana knew about this fact."

"For me, if I were her, I might've been shocked by this kind of news." Nagachika replied. "She must've been emotionally torn..."

"Yes, Hana will surely be torn." Munekatsu said

"No, I'm talking about Lady Hayakawa." Nagachika replied. "She must've missed her own daughter for a very long time, although I don't know for how long."

Munekatsu thought for a second, before he noticed someone's on the door.

"16 years."

Both men of the Nomi looked at the door to see Takakage standing on the door. "Ta...Takakage-sama."

"She hasn't seen Hana for 16 years." Takakage repeated.

"N...No way...poor Lady Hayakawa...poor Hana." Nagachika said.

"I was expecting about this topic." Takakage smirked.

"T...Takakage-sama. My apologies for my negligence." Munekatsu bowed.

"No need to apologize. I knew you wanted to discuss it for good. Well, to continue the discussion, luckily Hana didn't know about this fact. But nevertheless, I sensed one day she will finally find out by herself."

"I guess so, especially if the battle includes Hōjō, Takeda, or the Imagawa." Munekatsu replied.

Hearing the names of the other two clans made Takakage flinched and sting felt on his heart. The two clans were the cause of why he had to part with his childhood love, or actually an illegitimate wife right now. If only the Hōjō didn't ally themselves with the two, and prolonged their alliance with the Mōri, he will not be separated with her.

More possibly, he could legitimate the affair by asking Hayakawa's hand on marriage. She wouldn't rejected him, since they were really in love at that time.

And Hana won't be considered a forbidden girl.

Hayakawa won't lose her 16 years of life with her daughter.

But at the same time, if it does, he can't prolong the life of Kobayakawa because he won't be married to Lady Toida, the daughter of Masahira Kobayakawa.

He will stay at Mōri, and Mōri will lose one of the retaining branch. Contradictory with his determination to do the best for Mōri.

So well, choices have consequences.

"Anyway, why are you telling about all of this, father? This is such a valuable secret to be held, and I felt I'm not honored enough to know this."

Nagachika expected Munekatsu to answer, instead, Takakage answered him.

"You will know sometime that you and your father was honored enough for this. The fact that you often interacted in the Hōjō household where Hana's mother is located made you both the key for reconnecting and reuniting Hana's family. If you successfully reunited the family, you know that we're another step closer to peace."

Both Nomi family members were thrown into confusion.

"You both will find out the meaning of my speech as time goes by." Takakage said before he left the room.

"That was...unexpected." Munekatsu said. "But it seems that Takakage-sama has put his faith in you."

"Well, now I know why this must've been kept a secret." Nagachika thought.

"Now, task for protecting her emotion will be given when suddenly Hana knew about her true mother. For now just protect her physically. I'm counting on you, Nagachika."

"I'll do my best, father."

* * *

Night time, In Takakage's room.

Takakage sat on his futon, revisiting all events that were done this day. Lady Toida soon joined him, but she found out that he was distressed.

"Takakage-sama, is something wrong?"

Takakage stayed silent. "If you're thinking about my reaction about Hana going to her first battle, then you know that I'm worried, but in the same time I agreed to let her go. You don't have to be so distressed." Lady Toida added.

Takakage's face's expression didn't change from the distression. Although then he started to speak. "Toida-dono, actually I remembered something."

"Hm?"

"My decision to send her for battle on one point, could damage our family."

Lady Toida's eyes widened. "W...Why did you suddenly think like this? What do you mean by damaging our family?"

Takakage then softly responded.

"Toida-dono, when one goes for battle, and the peace were not achieved, as long as his strength existed then he/she will continue to go to battle."

"Yeah, sure, I know that. You and Motonari-sama proved that. Peace has not been achieved and you continued to go on battle. But that doesn't explain why it could damage our family."

"T...Toida-dono..."

"Takakage-sama, even if you went onto battle, I will still wait for you here in Aki. I will not ever think that you will leave me. You're one of the smartest person, and caring too. You're my husband, and always will be."

"Toida-dono, I'm not talking about me and you, but about Hana."

"The same goes for Hana." Lady Toida replied. "Every time she goes for battle, I will wait for her. She's my daughter, and I loved her, as she loved me. Am I right, Takakage."

"Yes, but one point here, if Hana went for battle, and suddenly she was recognized and was reunited with her true mother, Hayakawa, then what will happen? This is why I was really distressed. I don't want Hana to forget you, even if you're not her birth mother. You had taken care of her very well. She won't be like this now if it isn't because of you."

Toida-dono stayed calm, much to Takakage's confusion. "T...Toida-dono?"

"Takakage-sama, you're way over your head. But thanks for thinking about this. If that's the case, then it's okay. I'll never regret taking care of her, even not as her true mother. I will then continued to silently take care of her, while at the same time I really hoped that Lady Hayakawa was kind enough so we can take care of her together."

Takakage was touched.

"Well, did you know, Takakage-sama? You are a determined person, and from you I can learn to be determined. I will always do my best to take care of her, even against all odds."

"Toida-dono, thank you."

"Now sleep tight, Takakage-sama. Throw away all your anxiety. In three more days, you'll go to battle. I don't want to see your distressed face when you go on to battle. I want to see the face full of determination." Lady Toida said before sharing a quick peck to her husband. "Good night, Takakage."

"Good night, Lady Toida...Oh, I almost forgot."

Takakage sat up, leaning closer to his wife's ear. "Would you mind if..." He whispered the rest.

Lady Toida was shocked. "Well, if that's the case, I agree."

* * *

" _In 1568, the Mōri seccessfully claimed victory in Torisaka. Mōri's grasp for western part of Honshu was getting tighter._

 _Not long after that, the Mōri clan now planned to extend their grasp. Their target was the western island of Kyushu, which at that time was ruled under the Ōtomo clan._

 _Amongst the warriors of Mōri was a newcomer, Shinhana Kobayakawa, the daughter of the mind of Mōri, Takakage Kobayakawa._

 _Together with her guardian, Nagachika Nomi, and her father, Takakage Kobayakawa, Shinhana set out for her first battle._

 _The Forbidden Girl-Battle 1: Battle of Tatarahama_

 **A/N: This marks the end of chapter 4. Yeah I knew for everyone reading this, telling Nagachika the truth about Hana is actually too fast and makes this story boring. Well I tried, and I did think the same.**

 **Next Chapter will be the 1st battle scene!**

 **Please R &R and help me by sending constructive reviews, corrections, ideas or critics, but no flames allowed. Thank You!**


	5. Battle 1-Battle of Tatarahama

**A/N: Thank You catpush for favoriting, following and reviewing my story. I'm so flattered. But well, the ending is still on the very latter chapters. If I'm not mistaken, that'll be chapter 16 or 17. But thanks, anyway!**

 **Here's our first battle of Tatarahama. This battle doesn't exist in SW4-II, so I'll use my own scenario, which might be historically untrue (And it will), but I maintained the same result as the historical one. Without further ado, here's Chapter 5!**

Chapter 5: Battle of Tatarahama

* * *

Pre-Battle, Mōri Army Main Camp

Takakage was calling Shinhana into the camp.

"Hana, this is your first battle. Do not do anything rash and please obey the orders given to you." Takakage said.

"..." Hana glared at her father.

"Don't look at me like that. All of the orders that I would give to you was to ensure your safety. It's for your own benefit." Takakage said.

"Father, I know you were afraid of losing me. But I could take care of myself. I was already given a task, and I will finish it without hesitation." Hana replied to her father. "I'll go checking on Nagachika and the other allies."

Hana then left her father's camp.

"For a first-timer, she surely is quite determined." A man approached Takakage.

"I know, Motoharu _ani-ue_. This is what she had been pining of. But...that speech she had given me...I was getting more and more nervous."

"Nervous that she might be killed in battle?" Motoharu said, earning a glare from his younger brother.

"Hey, don't say such things."

"Sorry, I mean, she looked like she could control herself in battle. For a first-timer this is quite dangerous."

"Yeah, I get what you mean. I sure hope she can control herself in battle." Takakage replied.

Motoharu just smiled, before realizing something. "Uh, Takakage."

"Yes?"

"Sending your only daughter...do you think your wife will accept this?" Motoharu asked.

"Of course, we have discussed about this earlier." Takakage replied.

"No, I mean your "wife", the one back in Hōjō." Motoharu grinned.

"You seem so excited about this." Takakage said, blush formed in his cheeks. "As a matter of fact, I don't know. If she didn't accept then I was to blame."

"We can't back down now. Just pray that Hayakawa-dono will accept the fact that her daughter went for battle." Motoharu said.

Just then, Nagachika entered Takakage's tent, dressed in full armor and wielding his bow and arrowhead spear.

"Takakage-sama, Motoharu-sama, we're ready to go."

"Okay then, I'll give the signal after this, now you can go to your position and carry out the task carefully."

"Ooo...kay, leave it to me. I'll do my best for my task as the front liner and the guardian!" Nagachika said.

With that, Nagachika left Takakage's tent and joined Hana on the frontline force. From inside, Takakage let out a sigh and frowned.

"Nagachika, please do your best. Make me send this letter in no regrets."

* * *

Front Line Force

Nagachika arrived at his spot, waiting for the signal to start the battle.

"Hana-dono, I hope you can redeem yourself and not being so rash out there, okay?" Nagachika asked.

"Sure, don't worry, I'll slay everyone who dares to take Tachibana castle. We'll defend it with our lives." Hana said vigorously.

Nagachika slapped himself. "I know this would come out from her mouth. I hope nothing bad happens."

Not long after that, a battle horn signal could be heard. "Our enemy is in Tachibana Castle. Everyone, move!" Nagachika said.

The two sides rushed to the field of Tatarahama, and the Battle of Tatarahama finally begins.

* * *

Odawara Castle, 1568

Hayakawa was still sitting at her room on the third floor of the castle. Since Hana's departure on 1552 and Uesugi's Invasion on 1561, which burned the castle town of Odawara, Hayakawa had been depressed. Could you blame her? She had lost, not only her first ever daughter, although not from a legal affair, lost her childhood friend and love, now her illegitimate husband, even though both of them were still alive, but also her people, which resides in castle town. Some of them survived, but many of them were burned to death.

Although then her hopes for the first two were still high due to her father's retainer Munekatsu Nomi, also Takakage's retainer, telling that Hana was still alive under Takakage's care.

But how could she heal herself for the third? Many innocent lives were taken. As a lady of the ruling family in Odawara, this is surely her failure, well that's what she had thought.

The Hōjō family believed that the people of Hōjō are basically a part of Hōjō family. So if a lot of Hōjō people were burned, then, well you can implicate the conclusion.

"Something wrong, my dear?" a man approached her.

"U...Ujizane-sama...No, nothing." She replied.

"Really? You have stayed here in this room for God knows how long, you didn't interact outside with your brothers like usual, you even asked for your meal to be delivered here. Surely it wasn't nothing." Ujizane said, showing concern to his wife.

Despite the fact that he knew about her affair with Takakage before she was married to him, he still loved her as his wife.

Hayakawa stayed silent, although she felt a bit warmer.

One that Hayakawa liked about him is his concern, and how he could handle everything so leisurely. He was like a go-getter, never feeling nervous and always be cheerful, just like her before her cloudy adulthood.

"Listen, I know you're been so stressed like this since the Uesugi incident." He spoke in a calmer tone. "I myself couldn't forgive what the Uesugi had done, I also felt horrible to see those innocents be killed like that, but I won't let sadness and stress overcome my feelings. In this chaotic world, this kind of act will happen very often, although I wish it didn't, so if we accumulate sadness and stress due to this kind of act, then our life will be so dull and cloudy. So I tried to look on this kind of act in another way."

Hayakawa looked at her husband, which had sat next to her.

"Don't say like I'm a ruthless person, but I usually see this as one of a learning material. Each time we see this problem, we'll think of a solution, and this is one step closer to finally find the best solution to end this chaos and prevented it to occur again."

Despite knowing that what her husband said is almost like showing no empathy to the lost souls, she could learn something different from that. For a little time, she could feel at ease.

But it soon vanished as a retainer went on her room.

"Ujizane-sama, Hayakawa-dono, Lord Ujiyasu wanted to see you both.

The two immediately went to the ruler's room.

"Did father wanted to see us?" Hayakawa asked.

"Yes." Ujiyasu said in a negative tone, either sad or angry. "We need to prepare ourselves, It seems like the Takeda had broken the alliance and prepared to invade us."

The couple were shocked. Hayakawa's feeling worse and Ujizane's not feeling better either. That was one news they wouldn't have ever wanted to hear.

And the moment Hayakawa lost another of her close family.

* * *

Tatarahama, early 1569

"How long is it to reach Tachibana castle?" Hana asked her guardian.

"According to the map your father showed us yesterday, we will arrive shortly." Nagachika said, before noticing that a shade of wall could be seen, along with a big bunch of soldiers approaching them. "Looks like they won't give up their castle that easy. Are you ready, Hana?"

"I'm always ready." Hana replied.

"Be careful, I don't want you to die." Nagachika said.

Hearing that made Hana felt confused, that wasn't Nagachika's usual demeanor. He spoke it like he was telling that to his closest family, or friend, or whatsoever. Inside she did feel warmth, wait a minute, why did she felt like that? She washed off all that things and just replied

"Okay, I won't die, don't worry. Because I have you as my guardian, hehe." Hana giggled.

Nagachika knew that those were sarcastic words. She never wanted to be guarded by a guardian, he knew that. But something different also emerged on his heart, it seemed like she had devoted her life on his.

Both young adults get off their horses and slew many of the opposing soldiers, much to Hana's pride. Hana felt satisfaction, but regret also fills her mind.

"Hana, if you felt regret on killing these people, wash it away by praying the lost souls to find peace in the Parallel World." Nagachika advised, before continuing to slay the opposing soldiers.

After an hour or so, they finally reached Tachibana castle, where they were greeted by the mighty Jōun Takahashi.

"Welcome, greedy hotheads of the Mōri, aren't you satisfied enough to have the whole region of Aki as yours that you seeked our peaceful lands of Kyushu? You better go back before you regretted ever stepping your stinky feet on this land."

"Shut up and fight." Hana exclaimed in anger.

"Oh, look at this, a little kitty tried to shove her paws on my neck? You better find shelter there back in your lovely partner's back." Jōun taunted.

"You better watch out your mouth, I'm her guardian and let us fight fair and square." Nagachika replied angrily.

"Two against one is not fair, but it seemed like you were just two young'n, so, fair enough, I accept your challenge."

Jōun then charged forward, swinging his spear onto Hana, which was dodged easily thanks to her training. At the same time, Nagachika shoots an arrow, which was blocked away by the same spear. Although Jōun was stuck on the defensive, he was infallible enough that Nagachika and Hana hadn't given any blow yet after almost ten passes.

"This guy is tough." Hana replied.

"He should, he won't be guarding this castle alone if he's not this tough." Nagachika chimed in.

Unfortunately, Hana got her guard down as Jōun's spear slashed on her direction, Nagachika charged to block the attack and the spear landed on his left shoulder, numbing his left arm.

"Nagachika, oh no!" Hana exclaimed as she looked that Nagachika was down, holding his scar. "Y...You, I won't forgive you!" Hana exclaimed as rage built up on her.

She grabbed her dual-sided spear, pulled them on different edges, reforming it into dual short spears, and charged towards Jōun. Although she never trained on dual short spears before, she could pull off against Jōun's spearman skill, until a few minutes later, Hana landed a clean cut to Jōun's abdomen, taking him down.

"Urgh...not bad. We shall meet again." Jōun asked as he retreated outside Tachibana Castle.

Hana then approached Nagachika, which is still fallen aboard. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I...I'm fine." Nagachika said as he tried to get up, but the pain on his left arm made him toppled back to the ground. "Ack...this is not good."

"Here, let me help you, give me your right hand, please." Hana said.

Nagachika's right hand grabbed Hana's, and she strongly pulled Nagachika onto his feet. "So now, who is the guardian, Huh?"

"Hey, If I'm not guarding you then you'd be died for sure." Nagachika said.

"And if I didn't slash him and forced him to retreat, then he'll surely finish you off." Hana replied.

"So...in that case, why didn't we consider it as guarding each other then?" Nagachika grinned.

Hana pouted.

"Okay, fine. But next time please be more careful."

"Hey, I should be the one to say that to you." Nagachika said.

"Sheeesh...whatever." Hana replied. "Now that the guy has been defeated, this castle is surely ours."

"Then, we might proceed to our task, we have to guard this castle." Nagachika said.

* * *

At the Ōtomo camp

"Jōun, what happened?" the Ōtomo forces' commander, Sōrin Ōtomo asked the injured warrior as he made their way to the camp.

"Well, I never thought that the ones taking Tachibana Castle were two youngsters. Seems like I let my guard down."

"Hmm, two youngsters, you say?" Sōrin thought.

"Yes, and apparently one of them was a reckless-type one. I put down the other one and this one was just attacking me with rage. I think this is a berserker girl, from what I analyzed." Jōun replied.

"A girl? You lost to a girl?" One of the Ōtomo officers laughed.

"Shut up!"

"A girl, attacking with rage, a berserker." Sōrin thought. A smirk formed in his face, "I think I knew just a plan to use."

"To defeat this girl?" Jōun asked.

"No, much more than that. We can turn this battle into our favor." Sōrin smirked.

* * *

Back at Tachibana Castle.

"Uhhh...who knows that guarding a castle could be this boring." Hana replied.

"You've said it. But we still have to focus ourselves on guarding...Ack..." Nagachika gritted.

"You better didn't move too much, this aid kit can't last long, you're worsening the scar if you move too much." Hana said.

"Ehm...sorry." Nagachika said.

The two then continued guarding the castle, along with a few troops guarding each door. An hour passed and nothing happened.

"Boooooring..." Hana pouted.

"Can you please just endure it. We might be doing like this in future battles, you know. Well, except if you don't want to go on battles again."

"What, no, of course. I want to!" Hana said, before realizing that Nagachika was staring at her. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"N...No? I think I heard something." Nagachika said. "I didn't mean to stare at you."

"Really, I didn't hear anything." Hana said.

Suddenly both of them, along with the other troops heard a yelling from outside the castle. They both knew that sound, it was the sound of none other than Jōun Takahashi himself.

"Hey, little girl, come on out."

Hana knew that the "little girl" refers to her. So she stood on top of the castle, looking outside.

"You know what, I went on easy on you before, so I requested a rematch!" Jōun said.

"A rematch, with you injured like that? Ha..ha..ha, don't make me laugh." Hana laughed.

"Come on, if you're a real warrior, then step up and fight. If you're backing out then you're nothing more than a loser!" he replied.

"Well, you asked for it, let's settle it once and for all." Hana said as she stormed out leaving the castle."

Nagachika thought for a moment. "There's no way a warrior will ask a duel on that injured condition, unless..." Nagachika suddenly realized something bad.

"Hana, no! It's a trap!"

But he was too late, Hana had already left the castle, into the garrison near the castle

And, much to Nagachika's horror, a battalion of soldiers sprung an ambush on Hana, the garrison's gates had been closed.

"Uh-oh!" Nagachika said. "An ambush! T...This is all my fault."

Inside, realizing she was trapped, Hana had nothing to do except trying to attack the ambushers.

"You tricked me, Jōun! What a coward!" Hana exclaimed.

"That's for laughing at me. Now prepare your death!"

* * *

In Takakage's tent

A messenger ran inside the tent and bowed before his lord.

"T...Takakage-sama..."

"Hm?"

"I bring news. Y...Your daughter's been ambushed in the garrison near the castle."

This of course shocked the mind of the Mōri.

"Just as I thought, she still can't control herself." Takakage mumbled. "Prepare the troops, we need to rescue her."

"Agreed."

Another messenger suddenly approached Takakage.

"I bring news, the Amago Clan has taken the territory east of us, and had marched onto Tachibana Castle."

"Gosh, this was getting out of hand." Takakage grumbled. "If we let them invade the castle, Hana and Nagachika will fall in a pincer attack and surely be eliminated. We have to hurry!"

Takakage and Motoharu readied their combat gears and led many of the soldiers onto Tachibana Castle.

* * *

Inside Tachibana Castle

"I can't believe she was taunted." Nagachika murmured. "But I can't just stay here doing nothing, I have to help her. But if I did, I left Tachibana Castle defenseless and if someone took it, then I'll fail the task."

Nagachika thought for a bit, then made up his decision.

He took his bow and arrow, then put it on his back. He can't use it because his left arm is numb, so all he can use is his arrowhead spear.

He decided to run towards the garrison where the ambush were occurred, and defeated the gatekeepers, allowing him to enter the garrison.

What he saw really pained his eyes. Hana was struggling, and he can see scars on some parts of her body.

One of the soldiers were going to slash Hana's exposed back, before suddenly the soldier was slashed down by Nagachika's spear.

"Hana, are you alright?" Nagachika said.

Hana didn't answer, instead she tumbled and fell unconscious.

"Hana! Oh my god! Wake up! Wake up!" Nagachika cried. But it was to no avail.

"I...I failed...I'm not worthy to be called such a guardian." Nagachika murmured, tears forming on his eyes as he held Hana's unconscious body.

Anger rose inside him, he looked on the ambushers with eyes full of rage. "You all have to pay for doing all of this!"

Nagachika took her dual sided spear and decided to slay all of the ambush soldiers. Each soldier down adds more rage to him, without any chances of cooling down.

After about 10 minutes, all of the soldiers were defeated. Nagachika was cooling down and decided not to pursue Jōun, Instead he decided to take the unconscious Hana back to the castle, only to find out that the castle was already occupied by the Amago clan.

"Tch, I was too late. Now I failed my own task too. Takakage-sama's going to kill me." Nagachika thought. "But nothing could be changed, I need to retreat back to the camp."

It was then the Ōtomo forces began pursuit of him.

"Work together with the Amago and pursue them! Don't let them get away." Jōun ordered.

Nagachika, still carrying unconscious Hana, ran back to the camp. His numb arm was unable to move, and his right arm was carrying Hana, so when he realized he was pursued, he had no choice but to flee.

Along the way, he met a group of warriors approaching him. Panic rushed in him, but it changed into a sigh of relief because the warriors were none other than his lord, Takakage and his lord's brother, Motoharu.

But of course, at the same time, he felt guilt and agitation inside. He was going to be punished by his lord for failing to protect Hana and to carry out his task.

As he reached Takakage, he, ignoring the pursuing opponent forces, bowed down in front of Takakage's horse.

"Takakage-sama, I...I failed to protect your daughter, and I let Tachibana Castle be taken. I'm ready to be punished for my mistakes." Nagachika said.

"We can discuss that later. For now we have to retreat back to Aki." Takakage said.

Nagachika carried Hana to the carriage on her father's horse, and closed its door. As Takakage and the other forces retreated, he stayed back.

"Nagachika, what are you doing? Retreat, now!" Takakage ordered.

"I won't, I have failed my tasks. So let me atone to my mistakes by protecting your retreat."

"No, you can't..."

"Just leave, my lord."

Nagachika then stormed onto the pursuing forces, single-handedly taking down as many soldiers as he could.

He failed to notice one of the soldier sneaked at his back, ready to stab him to his doom.

When Nagachika looked back, it must've already been too late.

"Slash!"

A slash was made.

But he was alive.

He looked at his back to see his father slashing the soldier. "You can't just storm off by yourself like that. Retreat now, with me."

"But, father..."

"Enough! We have to retreat right now!"

"O...Okay!"

Nagachika hopped on his father's horse, finally begun his retreat to Aki.

 **A/N: That ends the first Battle, Battle of Tatarahama. Of course the real battle wasn't like that. Tachibana castle was a stronghold for Mōri forces so all troops should've been there, and Amago didn't invade Tachibana castle on the historical battle, but hey, again this is Fanfiction! I can make an imaginary plot, right? But the outcome of the battle is still the same, the Ōtomo forces scored a victory.**

 **Please Read & Review! Say no to flames, say yes to constructive reviews and critics. **


	6. Guarding a Guardian?

**A/N: Thank you RosyMiranto18 for following my story. I'm sorry if my story was still much less interesting than Scarlet 'n Blossom's. Please pardon this newbie :'(.**

 **Back again with another chapter. Of course Hana isn't dead from the ambush, if she did, then she would never find the truth about her mother, and then what's the point of this story, really? According to the info on my profile, Hana would stay alive until 1612, so don't worry!**

 **Oh well, I lied, this chapter will be a bit focused on HanaXNagachika fluff, sorry. I just can't find another way to announce the next part of the story. And since I'm a guy, fluffs are not my best and sorry if anybody threw up.**

 **Anyway, Here's Chapter 6!**

Chapter 6: Guarding a Guardian?

* * *

Aki, 1569

The Mōri forces suffered a defeat.

Inside, Motonari Mōri was discussing about the battle, along with his sons Motoharu and Takakage.

"I'm sorry we can't secure a victory on Tatarahama, father." Motoharu replied. "Father could blame me for this defeat."

"No, Motoharu, this defeat was surely my fault. If only I know they have backup ready at Tatarahama."

"Actually, both of you. This is no one's fault. No one could ever guess that Amago was still existed and joined forces with the Ōtomo. Had I destroyed Amago ultimately without any survivors, this won't happen."

"Despite our defeat, I could foresee a brighter future for the Mōri, especially with our youngsters." Takakage said.

"Well those "youngsters" almost made you suffer a heart-attack, didn't they, Takakage?" Motoharu said.

"Um, that's a learning material for themselves. I know they can learn something from this defeat." Takakage replied. "Anyway, I hope Hana and Nagachika will be okay. Being stuck in an ambush on her first battle surely had left Hana in a trauma."

"Ah, you don't have to worry much, Takakage." Motoharu said. "She'll be okay. Nagachika too. Although he did fail his task..."

"No, he didn't fail himself on my perspective." Takakage said. "He chose to abandon his task to save Hana, forcing to fight even with numb arm, and carrying her back despite those pursuers, even beating himself so much to his failure to protect her. That can only mean one thing."

"Hm?"

"Nagachika was truly Hana's guardian. He gave his all for her, even against all odds." Takakage continued. "He didn't fail me."

"Well isn't that too melodramatic? it's almost like we could make a love story there." Takakage's nephew, Terumoto said.

Takakage just smirked.

"A cute love story, much cuter than Takakage's." Motoharu said, earning a smack from Takakage.

"Hey, shut up." Takakage said. "Well, actually, why don't we make that love story a reality?"

"What do you mean?" Motoharu said.

"I already discussed it with Lady Toida. So we planned to wed the two of them." Takakage replied.

"R...Really?" Motoharu said. "I knew they had known each other since they're teenagers, but..."

"Actually, I knew what Takakage meant." Motonari said. "Sending his daughter to battle and assigning Nagachika to protect her was no coincidence for Takakage. Our last battle of Tatarahama was actually a test for proving Nagachika's worth for Hana. am I right, Takakage?"

"Yes, and I could say that he passed." Takakage said. "This marriage will add the Nomi clan as one of the branches of Mōri clan. So what do you think, Father? Will you agree if Hana was wed to Nagachika?"

"Takakage, you don't have to ask me my permission to do so. Hana was your daughter. The only ones whose agreement counts are only Hana's and Nagachika's parents. Grandparents have no right to cancel a marriage." Motonari said.

"Oh, thank you, father." Takakage said.

"Speaking of parents, I'm afraid you must also ask an agreement to Hana's biological mother, Hayakawa. Lady Toida's agreement is necessary, but not enough. Hana has Hōjō blood flowing in her veins, so we can't discredit the Hōjō." Motonari said.

"Which is why I had already made a letter." Takakage said. "This is a letter to ask for agreement for their marriage."

"You're really one step ahead of us, Takakage." Motonari said.

"You know, I don't think the letter will entirely about the agreement." Terumoto said. "I bet uncle Takakage might put some...uh..."

"Lovely words for Hayakawa?" Motoharu said, earning another smack from Takakage.

"Can you please just shut up?"

"Uncle Motoharu is right. Uncle Takakage hadn't seen Lady Hayakawa for almost 20 years, don't you want to say something like "I missed you" or something like that?" Terumoto grinned, followed by the entire men on the meeting.

"Don't be so annoying like your uncle there, Terumoto." Takakage snapped.

"E...Excuse me?"

The Mōri family turned to see Munekatsu standing on their doorstep. "Ah, Munekatsu, perfect timing. Come in." Takakage said.

"Well, I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but I heard that my lord wanted to wed my son with your daughter. Am I right?" Munekatsu replied.

The Mōri family was shocked. "I...I apologize for my negligence." Munekatsu bowed.

"No need to apologize. Yes, you're right. Well, since you're Nagachika's father, I need your agreement for their marriage, will you agree?"

"My lord...for such an old retainer like me, it is a very honorable request." Munekatsu replied. "With all respect, I humbly accept the honor."

"Just as I really thought. Now all we need to do is to get an agreement from Hayakawa, Hana's true mother. What really mattered right now is how can we send the letter..."

"Well, my lord, I still have the letter you wanted me to send to the lady of the Hōjō , did Takakage-sama remember?"

"Ooh, so Takakage DID send a love letter to Hayakawa?" Motoharu laughed.

"Shut up, _ani-ue_ , and it's not a love letter!" Takakage snapped. Everyone could notice that Takakage's blushing on every excuses.

"Well, pardon me, but I can send both of the letters tomorrow."

Takakage was shocked. "Tomorrow? Wait, you're leaving already? Why?"

The retainer of Kobayakawa and Hōjō frowned. "I...I need to apologize for not joining the defense of Odawara Castle."

"What do you mean?" Takakage suddenly asked.

"While we're off in Tatarahama, the Hōjō-Takeda-Imagawa Alliance were severed and Takeda invaded Odawara Castle. The Hōjō family survived...but...lots of the innocent peasants were burned in town."

"Oh no..." Takakage mumbled, his face was also changed into a frown. "I...I can't believe it."

"Takakage?" Motonari called.

"I need to make a letter of condolences. This chaos was getting out of hand." Takakage said. "I know it was not enough, but if that continues, the Hōjō will fall apart."

"Takakage, I know you've formed a very strong bond with the Hōjō, although not in a 'good' way. But hear this: You're a Mōri, and you said you wanted to do the best for Mōri, so anytime you went on battles, alliances, or something like that, you need to think of its effect to Mōri." Motonari said.

"I understand, Father. I'm just giving condolences, it won't affect Mōri in a negative way. Instead, it gave us chances to renew our alliance with the Hōjō, as I thought. Pardon me, but I need to get some fresh air outside for a little time." Takakage said as he exited the room.

* * *

Hana's Room

Hana was laying on her bed, recovering from her wounds. Eventually she had been in a coma for a few days and suffered a wave of slashes among her body.

She slowly opened her eyes, stopping the long sleep that she had been through. Slowly she looked around, recognizing the familiar patterns of walls, some stuffs, the weapon rack, a pair of brown eyes. She must've been in her room.

Wait...brown eyes?

"You're awake...Thank Kami...I thought you would never wake up." A familiar sound resonated in the room, which was then she recognized that it belong to the same guy whose eyes she had just seen.

"What? Did you think I'm dead?" Hana chuckled. "I won't die that easily."

"You made me so worried, you know. How can an ambushed girl who fell unconscious in it said, "I won't die that easily"? Had I helped you a little later, your life was the price." Nagachika said.

"Well..."

"Forget about that, what really matters is that you're awake. I won't know why I should continue living if you are dead."

Hana kept quiet, before registering the last part of the sentence. "W...Wait, Nagachika?"

"Hm?"

"Did you...just say something?"

"What?"

"I heard you said that you wouldn't know why you should've continued living if I were dead. What do you mean?"

"E...Eh...did I say that?" Nagachika stammered.

"Yes. Would you want me to repeat it for you, even with the same intonation?" Hana asked.

"U...uh...No...I guess," Nagachika was speechless, 'What have I done?'

"Nagachika?"

"Well, err...I'm your guardian, aren't I? So as your guardian, I won't let you die, and my greatest task is to protect you, that's the life of guardians. If the one guarded is dead, then what's a guardian for?"

"Oh..." Hana nodded in understanding.

'Well that was a close one,' Nagachika thought.

"By the way, how was your left arm?" Hana asked.

"Err...I guess it's getting okay."

"Really? Let me check your wound."

"Y...You don't need to...I..I swear it's getting bet..." He can't continue because Hana's left hand covered his mouth.

"Don't act like a child and let me check your wound."

"Jeez...you sounded like my mother." Nagachika sighed.

'A mother for your children, right...W...Wait a minute, how come did I think about that? He's my guardian, and nothing more.'

"Shut up." Hana replied

Nagachika then took a seat near Hana, showing the bandaged left arm.

Hana was partially gifted with medicines thanks to her aunt Lady Gōryu, Takakage's older sister, teaching her about it, and also to her connection with Hayakawa, who was also known for her mastery in medicine and aid kits in Kantō. Although her skills wasn't as good as the two older women, she is quite skillful on healing deep cuts and external injuries.

She gently put her left hand on Nagachika's shoulder blades, as her right hand slowly peeled the old bandages covering the wound. She didn't notice that Nagachika's face was getting a bit red.

"This was not okay, Nagachika. This wound is still deadly and could be easily infected. I'll get you some more medicine. Wait here!"

"Hana, but you..."

"Shut up and stay here."

Hana got up from her bed, only to find out that her body was still too weak to move, and her legs were still wobbly, until just for a few moves, her legs couldn't avoid giving way,and...

"Thump!"

She hit the ground...

Or that was what she had thought.

Because apparently a strong arm had averted the occasion.

"You're still too weak to walk, Hana. You can't move too much. Let me take the medicine by myself."

"Oh, nice try, Nagachika, but you can't fool me." Hana smirked. "I'm going to make sure that wound is cured. I'll take the medicine, even if my legs will give way for a thousand times."

"Stubborn...aren't you? Why did you insist on curing me while neglecting your own?" Nagachika asked.

"U...Um..."

"Why did you put me above you? You don't have to do this."

"N...Nagachika..."

"Hana, I'm your guardian, so instead of you, I should be the one to put you above me. I'm the one who must make sure you're safe and sound. That's my role. You don't have to worry about me too much. As time goes by, you'll be able to protect yourself, and I'll be nothing more to you."

Hana was speechless. Never did she see Nagachika talk to her in such emotional way. After all, what he had said to her was right; Takakage assigned him to be her protector, and everyone knows very well that the role won't last long, as time passed by, until the time she had been able to protect herself. And Nagachika really will be nothing to her other than a common retainer to the Kobayakawa.

But, deep inside, her heart didn't want to accept that, somehow.

He had done such things as taking the blow which is supposed to be for her. He kept her focusing on duty even in such boredom in it, and, most importantly, he had saved her life from the ambushers.

So, she wanted to pay him back. It's not fair if he was neglected after such time.

One thought glimmered on her mind.

Why?

Why would she think like this?

Why would she put Nagachika above herself while it should be the other way round?

She needed to think of the answer later, as Nagachika slowly took her hand and placed it on his upper back.

"Hey, what're you doing?"

"If you insisted on taking the medicine, at least I'll help you to walk there." Nagachika said.

"F...Fine."

* * *

At the castle's garden

Takakage was standing on the open field of the garden, looking at the east, the direction where Kantō is located.

His heart was in shambles.

He was so cruel, letting Munekatsu and his son fight in Tatarahama, while in the same time, they had to protect the Hōjō from Takeda's attack.

His face scrunched in irritation and regret.

Why didn't his father try to prolong the Mōri-Hōjō alliance?

Why didn't the Hōjō look forward on the three-way alliance?

Their territories are so close and yet so far, the provinces are very vulnerable for the taking.

He knew very much that the Takeda was quite ambitious on this era, since their archenemies, the Uesugi and the Oda are also began to gain much more territories.

In contrary, Hōjō didn't have such ambition, as they were already seeking peace, and never tried to spread chaos.

As horrible as he had thought, he had foreseen that such ambition of Takeda might lead to chaos, and such ambition ignores alliances, and he could conclude the rest, which was too late to avoid.

He, believing his heart had synchronized with Hayakawa's, could feel almost the same pain and strife, how Hayakawa had lost much of her "family" on Takeda's attack.

And yet, he still had to send a letter of marriage agreement of their daughter to her.

Is he going to be called a heartless?

"Takakage-sama." A voice called him from his back. Takakage turned to see Munekatsu walking towards him.

"How do you know I'm here?"

"Well, consider this as the best place to look afar, as far as Odawara Castle itself, my lord." Munekatsu replied.

"Ah, so you know what I'm thinking." Takakage smiled.

"I...I apologize for being rude."

"No, you're not rude, Munekatsu-sama." Takakage replied. "You have known so much about me, and the same for Hayakawa too. So you must've known how I feel about this."

"Yes, my lord. You must've been so shocked and...I guess...you must've been guilty for not being able to prevent such horrible act." Munekatsu replied.

"I agree, and in this such act, I still wanted to send such agreement letter. I'd be so called heartless for this."

"My lord. I know how you feel. You're right, we can't send that letter at this time. Maybe we can send such letter next time when the tension has cooled down."

"That's what I'm thinking." Takakage said. "But you'll be leaving tomorrow, and I had no idea when you'll be back. So I don't know when would this letter be sent."

Munekatsu thought for a moment.

"I guess, I had a little plan. What if I brought those letters with me, but I'll give your first letter and condolences letter first, then when things have been worked out, I'll give the agreement letter. What do you think, Takakage-sama?"

Takakage seemed to agree with the plan, but something is still stuck in his mind.

"Did you think it was risky? What will happen if you suddenly lost the letter, or the letters were mixed up?"

"You can count on me, Takakage-sama. I'll do my best not to fall to these silly mistakes." Munekatsu bowed.

"Then, I shall agree. You may go."

Munekatsu then left the garden, whilst Takakage looked back to the desired direction.

"Hayakawa, I...I'm sorry."

* * *

In the medical room

Hana, crutched by Nagachika, had finally arrived at the medical room.

"Ah, Hana, Nagachika, you're both awake." Two feminine sounds passed the young adults' ears. Hana recognized the sounds instantly.

"Mom! Aunt Gōryu!" Hana exclaimed.

"Lady Toida, Lady Gōryu, a pleasure to meet both of you." Nagachika tried to bow, but failed since he was still holding Hana.

"You need a little help? You could sit down there and let me help you,"

"Actually, I'm going to get some medicines to cure Nagachika's wound." Hana said innocently.

The older women looked at Nagachika in confusion.

"Th...That's not what you're thinking. I'm not ordering her to do so, she wanted to do this by herself." Nagachika stammered. "She did try to go here alone, but her legs always gave way so I helped her as her crutch."

"Yea...yea...I know what you mean, Nagachika. And I'm not thinking that you're ordering her to take the meds." Lady Gōryu replied. "What I think is that why Hana wanted to do such things as curing your wound."

"Well, I guess, she had learnt to help others in need." Nagachika said.

" Is that so? Well that's good news, I think." Lady Toida said. "By the way, why is your face red?"

Nagachika was shocked on the question. "I...I don't understand your question."

"Oh, I guess I need to give you a mirror." Lady Gōryu giggled. "You don't need to explain, Nagachika. We knew already."

'Crap', Nagachika thought.

Lady Toida then looked at her daughter, and a smile formed as suddenly Hana presented the same symptom as her guardian.

'Oh wow, if this is the case, we won't have any regrets. Nice job, Takakage-sama."

 **A/N: Uyeah! A boring filler, a very nice reason to threw up. (*Going to the bathroom). I seriously was a bit regretful on making this chapter, I was far away from the main plot. But anyway, I don't know, really.**

 **Next chapter will be a short chapter about Munekatsu and Nagachika went off to Kantō, and Chapter 8 might be filled with another preparation for a battle. Stay tuned!**

 **Oh and please R &R! The rules are the same, okay.**

 **Note: For the next chapters, I might be posting on a longer time gap due to a busy schedule in University, because this Semester I will be sent, along with other students of the same year, to numerous villages in Indonesia for a project. Sorry for the inconvenience!**


	7. For My Future Wife

**A/N: Alright! Back again with another chapter! Like I've said before, this chapter might be utterly shorter and might be filled with only less important fillers. But trust me, I would try my best!**

 **Okay, I want to reply a little (but important to me) review from RosyMiranto18. Well, I'm really flattered about that, and yes, I agree that Takakage's becoming quite a tsukkomi and Motoharu's becoming like** _ **boke.**_ **Oh and I'll be waiting for your visit, the man of Shimizu.**

 **Yes, I'm a male. You can see it in my profile, actually. There you could see that I'm not like many authors who have the necessary talents and helping materials (like the literature background, hobby, or something like that). I started with a non-literature background and writing is not my best hobby, so writing is quite challenging (but fun) to me.**

 **Oh, and for Scarlet 'n Blossom-sensei (*eh*), Glad you liked the story, and don't worry about your English. We're all still learning, and the best way of learning is to try to speak and write it occasionally.**

 **Oh, I lied. Yes it's true that this chapter will be quite short. But this will be filled with so much romance fluff between our two young adults. I obviously put this chapter because of two reasons: First, Valentine's Day is approaching and Second, I can't put the journey and the meet on this chapter since it would be very long and the chapter will lose focus**

 **Okay, without further ado, Here's Chapter 7**

Chapter 7: To My Future Wife

* * *

Munekatsu walked back into the castle, towards Hana's room to check on his son, only to find that the room is empty.

"Huh, where are they?" He thought.

"Are you looking for Lady Hana, Munekatsu-sama?" A voice came out from his right. He looked right to see his ally walking towards him.

"Well, no, I'm looking for my son," Munekatsu said.

"Then, why do you search Hana's room then? Your son's probably at his room." The man replied.

"Ah, Muneharu, I forgot that you came here very recently, so you probably haven't known about our last battle."

"No...no, I've known about it, I also have known that your son was taking care of Hana while she recuperates. Besides, I'm just kidding. Last time I saw him was when Hana and he went together into the medical room." Muneharu replied.

"Oh, alright then, Thank you, Muneharu." Munekatsu replied.

"You're welcome." Muneharu replied. "You know, Munekatsu?"

"Hm?" Munekatsu stopped for a while.

"I'm actually jealous of you."

"Why?"

"You Nomi warriors were so lucky, I've heard from Terumoto-sama that your family will raise in rank as a Mōri branch family by your son's marriage with Takakage-sama's daughter." Muneharu pouted.

"What do you mean by "raise in rank?"" Munekatsu was confused.

"You don't get it? Your son will be married to Motonari-sama's granddaughter herself! You'll be inheriting a power as a close branch of the Mōri, you know." Muneharu replied.

"Well I never thought that far, and I don't care about that, either." Munekatsu replied. "I don't care if the Nomi will raise in rank or such things like that. The most important thing is that we're all one big family to the Mōri. I don't care which clan you are from, Mōri, Kobayakawa, Kikkawa, or Shimizu, just like you, we're still part of the Mōri and always will be."

"B...But..."

"Stop talking this nonsense, Muneharu. You need to look upon ourselves not vertically as in ranks, but horizontally, as in our oath of family under Mōri." Munekatsu replied.

"S...Sir." the Shimizu clan head replied.

"Now, excuse me. I need to go to the medical room to see my son." Munekatsu said as he made his way to the medical room.

* * *

A few moments later

Munekatsu finally made his way to the medical room. There he saw his son being treated by Hana, with a little help from Lady Toida and Lady Gōryu.

"Hi, father!" Nagachika greeted.

"Um, Nagachika, how was your wound?" Munekatsu asked bluntly.

"Well, I think it's getting much better, but Hana-dono didn't believe me." Nagachika pouted.

"Hey!" Hana snapped.

"Nagachika's wound is still quite dangerous, but it's much better than before." Lady Gōryu said. "Hana knew this and was quite eager to cure him."

"And I think Nagachika didn't regret being treated like this, if you know what I mean..." Lady Toida smirked.

"Mother, please..." Hana blushed in embarrassment.

"Well, that's quite fascinating to hear." Munekatsu giggled too. "Oh, forget about it. Nagachika, if you have the time, could I talk to you as soon as possible?"

"Uh...okay, father. I'll meet you as soon as Hana finished."

"Alright then. I'll be waiting in our room."

* * *

Another few moments later, Hana finished in curing Nagachika and Nagachika went into his room to see his father.

"Is there something you want to tell me, father?"

"Well, I want to tell you that tomorrow we'll be leaving for Kantō." Munekatsu said, earning a wide-eyed shock from his son.

"W...Wait, tomorrow, as in "tomorrow"?"

"Yes, tomorrow, why do you ask?"

"Er..." Nagachika paused for a bit, "You should've told me much earlier, father."

"Why? Did you plan on something with Hana?" Munekatsu teased.

"N...No...of course not!" Nagachika waved his hands, showing evasion. "It's just, well,.. I haven't readied myself..."

"Readying yourself for what?" Munekatsu asked. Confusion rose in him for his son's weirdness.

"E...Er...I mean, what do I have to say to Lady Hayakawa that I had utterly known about her secret?"

"Relax, you won't have to tell her, as she will find out about it herself." Munekatsu said. "Anyway, I know you're lying, there's something else, another reason why you were shocked on this news." Munekatsu said.

"Ah..." Nagachika said. "Seems like I can't hide anything from you, father. I guess, I felt a bit worried about Hana, when we left for Kantō. I mean, I was her guardian, and I must protect her anytime."

"Just that, really?"

"Er...yes...I guess." Nagachika said.

"Well, in that case, what if I told you about the reason we're leaving for Kantō?"

"Huh? Why?"

"First of all, we need to make an apology to the Hōjō clan for not present during Takeda's invasion to Odawara."

"W...Wait, so Takeda invaded Odawara? When?"

"The same time we went for Tatarahama." Munekatsu said. "The Hōjō family survived. But, not for the townsfolk."

"O...Oh my god!" Nagachika frowned. "How many times had they been invaded already? And isn't Takeda in an alliance with Hōjō and Imagawa?"

"You're right. That's why Takakage-sama was so furious when he heard about this. He knew the Takeda can't be trusted." Munekatsu explained.

"I can't believe it. I should've known I can't put faith in them." Nagachika said with anger.

"Now, now, save the anger for other time." Munekatsu said. "The second reason for our journey tomorrow is much more breathtaking."

"Huh?"

"We're going to meet up with Lady Hayakawa herself at Odawara Castle. Takakage-sama had sent about 3 letters for her."

"That's nothing breathtaking. We're just acting as a messenger, right?"

"Well, yes, if all 3 letters were really including Takakage-sama and Lady Hayakawa herself." Munekatsu said. "One of the letters, on the other hand, was one of the most important that also includes us."

"What do you mean that includes us?" Nagachika asked.

"One of the letters was filled with an agreement that you were going to be wed to Hana herself." Munekatsu said with a smile.

It didn't need a clever to point out that Nagachika was fully surprised with the commotion. And at the same time, blush formed again on his cheeks.

"What's wrong? You liked it, didn't you?" Munekatsu asked.

"E...Er...I..." Nagachika stammered. 'How can I explain this to Hana?' he thought.

"Just admit it, we can't cancel it outright even if you don't like it." Munekatsu teased.

"Well, I...I guess, I..."

"Okay, you don't have to answer it, your expression had answered it for you." Munekatsu said. "So, be ready and pack your needed belongings, and...um...you can have a little chat with your future wife, if you want, probably saying your goodbye before we left for Kantō."

"Oh, shut up, father." Nagachika pouted, but soon it was turned into a smile.

* * *

Later that Dusk

Hana was sitting under the Sakura tree in the castle garden, looking at the beautiful sunset. It was her usual activity before dinner time, enjoying the beauty of the nature which she was lucky enough to see.

She enjoyed the warmth, the sound of leaves, the chirps of birds, and a lot other stuffs she could hear, including a continuous set of footsteps.

Wait, footsteps?

Hana looked around her and noticed someone was approaching her.

"Is it dinner time already?" Hana asked loudly to the approaching person.

"No, it isn't, I think." She heard a familiar reply.

She turned around to see a young warrior approaching her. "Oh, it's you, Nagachika. I thought it was my father or mother calling me for dinner."

"Well, dinner will soon be served, don't worry." Nagachika said. "Mind if I join you?"

"For what?"

"Enjoying the sunset." Nagachika replied.

"Yeesh...how do you know that I'm enjoying the sunset?" Hana asked.

"Isn't it very obvious? You did it everyday."

"So you stalked on me every day?" Hana asked. "Help! A stalker!"

"W...Wait a minute, I d..."

"Just kidding." Hana said. "I know everyone knew I did this every dusk."

"Oh." Nagachika said. "May I sit here?"

"Why not?" Hana replied.

Nagachika then took a seat near Hana, enjoying the same sunset.

"Mm...isn't the sunset beautiful?"

"You're right. That's why I watched it everyday." Hana replied innocently.

'Okay, now why did I ask that? Stupid...'Nagachika thought.

"Well, looking at it, my eyes were getting bleary." Nagachika said. "Aren't your eyes too?"

"Well, considering that. Yes, almost everytime I ended up falling asleep, but usually my mother's call was loud enough to wake me up." Hana replied.

"I definitely agree with that." Nagachika chuckled.

They looked up on the sunset again. Time passed and Nagachika's eyes were getting bleary.

"I guess, I need to go..." Nagachika said before realizing then Hana had already fallen asleep, and what he hadn't expected is that her right hand was holding his left one, and dammit her grip is so strong.

'What did Takakage-sama feed her?'

He slowly tried escaping her grip slowly by loosening her grip. Just as he was almost done, her left hand suddenly gripped his hand too.

'What the...oh crap.'

With the two hands gripping his hand, Hana's head had no choice but to lean onto Nagachika's shoulder, immobilizing him in an instant.

'Great, now I'm stuck here, and I've got no chance to talk about me leaving tomorrow.' Nagachika murmured.

Slowly he tried to endure it, but with bleary eyes, he had no other choice but to let the slumber overtake him.

* * *

Later that night.

Nagachika opened his eyes, waking up from the slumber. It's getting very dark outside, only a little ray of light from the moon shone above the garden.

He looked at his left, at his future wife (if Hayakawa agreed, anyway), which was still in a slumber. Damn she's still beautiful when she's sleeping.

While he wanted to stay for a longer time there, together. He knew very well that it's quite dangerous outside the castle. So he did what he had ever did before, but in another way.

He gently loosened Hana's grip on him, putting his left arm under her upper back, and her right arm under her knees. He started to stand up, carrying Hana bridal style into the castle, ignoring the pain that build up from the injury on his left arm, walking into Hana's room., and put her on her futon.

He had no idea how it was done, but as soon as he put her on her bed, he leaned onto her, and gently putting his lips on her forehead, giving quite a peck, and then whispered in her ear.

"I'm going to leave tomorrow for quite a time. I know you can't hear me, but at least I could tell you. Before I go, I want to thank you for everything you have done to me. Had I not met you, I don't know why I could live.

I will be back after some time. Please take care of yourself and don't weep for me, just pray that I could make it safely there and back.

Oh, and one more thing. I...I've been so sorry to hide it from you, but I just want to say that I cared for you too much, more than I should have done, and for you to care so much for me, that makes me very, very happy.

So, Hana, sleep tight, and put it in your heart, that I've already fallen for you since then, and I don't ever want something bad happen to you because of me."

Nagachika stood up, ready to leave for his room.

He didn't notice that Hana's face had shown a smile, and her face was getting red.

* * *

 **A/N: Aaaaand yeah, a hell of romance. I really should've put "Romance" in the Genre. Like you have seen, I sucked at romances even though I already made it heck a lot of times. I don't know, probably because I am a guy with no experiences on relationships? Whatever!**

 **Please Read &Review, and the rules are still the same!**


	8. Glimpse of Hope

**A/N: How was your Valentine Day, everyone? Did you guys have a good time with your beloved (GF, family, or friends)? I sure hope you all do**

 **Oh well, let's get a review reply:**

 **RosyMiranto18: Oops, I don't know if "The man of Shimizu" was not a man! Guess I used the wrong term!, Nice to meet you, Prince Daisuke and Princess Kazada of the Shimizu, oh and Sir Ueda too!**

 **Muneharu Shimizu: I was totally surprised at first that you have the same surname with me, but too bad we're not related.**

 **Wait a sec! Crop circles? Oh my god I hope no one had mistaken your crest to it! If not then you might be considered Aliens hehe.**

 **Well, Mr. Bean's face on IYKWIM was usually used on...um... "such ambiguity with mature smell" only, you don't have to picture Lady Toida in that face (hehe...).**

 **Anyway, this is the should-have-been-chapter-7 Chapter 8!**

 **Since the year is 1569-1570, I'm so sorry to say that Kai hasn't existed yet. But she will also take part of this story!**

 **Without further ado, here's Chapter 8**

Chapter 8-A Glimpse of Hope

* * *

The next day, Hana woke up in her room. She noticed that there's a set of food on the table in her room, and as she saw it she realized that her stomach was hurting.

"Damn, is this my breakfast? It's unusual that my breakfast was served in my room." She asked to herself.

As she tried to grab it, there's a knock on the door. She opened the door to see a familiar figure in front of it.

"You shouldn't eat that, your breakfast is at the dining room." The figure said.

"Oh, sorry mom, then what's that?"

"That's your yesterday's dinner." Lady Toida said. "I wonder why you didn't eat it."

"Eh, I...I don't know."

"Okay, forget about it, let's go to the dining room."

* * *

In the Dining Room

"I guess, you didn't eat your dinner yesterday, right?" Takakage said.

"Eh, how can Father know that?"

"Well, don't underestimate the strategist of the Mōri." Takakage chuckled.

"Takakage-sama..." Lady Toida rolled her eyes.

"Just kidding, Toida-dono, Hana. I...well, I was on the meeting room yesterday for discussing something with Munekatsu's departure today."

Hana was surprised. "Munekatsu-sama was leaving? Does that mean Nagachika will too?"

"Unfortunately, yes, but not for long." Takakage replied.

'So, that events that I thought was a dream yesterday, they are real! That explains why I woke up in my bed this morning, not in the garden.' Hana thought.

"What's wrong, Hana? You're blushing..." Lady Toida teased.

"Er...did I?" Hana said.

"Yes, you did." Takakage said.

"So, seems like we're having a new couple here." Lady Toida teased.

"Mother, please..."

"Well well, just as I thought." Takakage smirked.

"Huh, what do you mean, father?" Hana asked in confusion.

"Yesterday night, As I finished having the meeting with Munekatsu, I noticed you and Nagachika slept under one of the trees. Although I can't see you clearly since it was already dark, I could see at least that your hand's grabbing Nagachika's, if I'm not mistaken.

"You're definitely not mistaken." Lady Toida said.

"Oh, looks like I'm busted." Hana said. Blush formed again on her cheeks.

"Well then, I sensed that Nagachika has acted quite like a gentleman by carrying you to your room. I don't know what happened after that." Takakage replied

'Should I tell him that he even had kissed me? No, probably not.' Hana thought.

"I expect nothing less for the Nomi." Takakage smiled. "I sure hope you two can take care of each other well."

"Huh, what do you mean, Father?" Hana replied.

Takakage realized that he had blurted out, so he had no choice but to spill the beans.

"Hana, well, I don't know if you liked this or not. But we're planning to secure a new branch of the Mōri from the Nomi through you." Takakage replied.

Hana was confused, but as she thought about it she finally realized what her father had meant.

" Th...Through me...does that even mean...Me and Nagachika..."

"Yeah, we planned to wed both of you." Takakage said.

The same as Nagachika the day before, Hana was no less than surprised on the commotion.

"What's wrong, Hana? You didn't like it?" Lady Toida teased.

"I...I..."

"Oh, look at that tomato face..." Lady Toida teased. "She definitely likes it."

"..." Hana was speechless.

"Ah, seems like we won't have any troubles in their relationship." Takakage smirked. "Munekatsu told me that Nagachika showed the same reaction from the news. So, well, we didn't have much problem for this, right?"

"Oh, Takakage-sama, I guess we should stop now before her face goes permanently red." Lady Toida giggled.

"Oh please...drop it." Hana yelled with embarrassment.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Nomi's bedroom.

"Nagachika, are you ready to go?" Munekatsu asked.

"Wait a sec...Okay, I'm ready." Nagachika replied. Although he looked ready to go, Munekatsu knew very well that his son hid the opposite feeling.

"Then let us meet with Takakage-sama."

* * *

A few minutes later, near the castle's main keep gate.

"Takakage-sama, the time has come for us to leave. We'll be back soon as we finished our task." Munekatsu replied, follow by a bow from his son and him.

"Ah, you can drop the too much formality. You can go, and we'll welcome you anytime with open hands." Takakage replied.

"Thank you, my lord."

As they finished, Hana, which is behind Takakage the whole time, suddenly grabbed Nagachika's arm. "Nagachika, come with me."

"Uh, f...for what?"

"Leave the reasons for later." Hana replied as she pulled his arm.

"B...But...hey, don't pull me that hard...*sigh*..."

The two older warriors just kept silent. Munekatsu was a bit confused. However, Takakage just tried to suppress a giggle.

* * *

In the Garden

"What's wrong?" Nagachika asked.

"Nothing, it's just why didn't you tell me that you're leaving?" Hana asked.

"Eh...I was just going to tell you, but you had fallen asleep." Nagachika replied. "So, I have no choice..."

"But carrying me to my bedroom, whispering me that you're leaving, and kissing my forehead?" Hana stated with a faint blush, especially when she asked about the last part.

"Eh...did Takakage-sama told you about that? Or maybe my father did?"

"Neither of them. I knew it by myself."

Nagachika couldn't help but stare with wide eyes. "But...how?"

"Easy...I'm NOT asleep when you did so." Hana said. "Yeah, I already known that you're leaving, so basically I lied."

"You aren't? Ack...I suppose you can forget about it, it's embarrassing, you know." Nagachika said.

Hana's face then changed into a frown.

"What's wrong? Is there something troubling you."

"Nagachika, for you wanting me to forget what happen yesterday...that brings pain to me, you know?"

"Eh?"

"How should I forget that? And why must I do? I will never forget what you did yesterday. That's one of our precious moments, you have to know that." Hana's sudden outburst made Nagachika frown.

"H...Hana...I...don't mean it like that." Nagachika said softly, tried to comfort her.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. It's just, I can't wait until you came back here for me to reply your whispers yesterday."

"R...really? Then the time and place is bestowed upon you." Nagachika grinned.

"Oh please, what kind of sentence is that..." Hana said.

"I'm just joking." Nagachika said. "I'm ready to hear you anyt..."

A pair of lips just crashed onto his, silencing him in an instant. He, still recovering from the "shock therapy", just returned it. Neither tried to part, even for catching a breath. They soon forgot their surroundings as they were put in a trance of bliss.

Both young adults parted, their lips turned to a smile, both eyes pooled with warm liquid of emotions.

"That response, is quite simple..." Nagachika smiled.

"Of course, that saves a thousand words worth of our feelings." Hana replied. "Now, promise me you must make it back here safely. I'll be waiting."

"Of course...Just put faith in me, and we will always find our way each other." Nagachika said.

"Right...Uh, by the way..."

"Yeah?"

"Since when could you be this romantic?"

"I guess, after I practiced in front of the mirror for one hundred times." Nagachika laughed. Followed by his soon-to-be wife.

"Anyway, I already knew about the marriage plot. So well, you don't have to treat me like a little girl anymore, okay."

"Well, I can't promise that." Nagachika said. "'Gotta go."

Hana raced him to the castle, and somehow managed to catch him, and turned him to face her.

"Look, be safe out there. I knew you're not stupid enough to let yourself die...okay."

"Err...okay."

The two shared a quick peck before going back to their fathers.

* * *

Meanwhile, a few days later, In Odawara, 1570

" _Hime-sama_ , can I come in?" Ujizane asked from outside Hayakawa's room.

"Wait a minute, give me some time to think." Hayakawa shouted from inside their room.

In fact, actually, it's been full two months since Hayakawa locked herself in her room (and Ujizane's, actually), she was getting more and more depressed each day. In addition to losing Hana and the people of the Castle Town, now she's also losing a lot of her family residing in the Town of Odawara. She expected this on this chaotic times. What she didn't expect is that the invasion of the Town and Castle was done by their own ally and supposed to be family, the Takeda family.

Her sister, Masako Hōjō (Lady Hōjō) was Katsuyori Takeda's wife, and such political marriage should have been for a good reason to maintain the alliance. But then, Takeda's invasion changed all of the plan.

Masako was divorced by Katsuyori, leaving Hayakawa and Ujizane the last surviving couple of the alliance.

The Hōjō must have suffered a lot, other than Masako's divorce, they had to let Saburō Hōjō, the 7th son of Ujiyasu, to be put on a hostage-trade with the Uesugi. The Hōjō had just lost the brave, energetic but innocent family member.

Saburō's departure left a gaping hole in Hayakawa's heart. He was one who encouraged Hayakawa not to be depressed, especially when he found out about Shinhana's bond to Hayakawa, he kept ensuring her that Hana is alive out there.

But now, he also left, although a part of her was relieved that Saburō, which was then named Kagetora Uesugi, was put in good hands of Lady Aya (Sentōin Gozen).

She hated Takeda from that time on, she didn't have to suffer much if the Takeda and Imagawa put an alliance with them.

Although she didn't blame Imagawa as much. She still put faith in Imagawa and the protector of her husband at the moment, Ieyasu Tokugawa.

She was still relieved that Tokugawa still tried to protect the Hōjō by eliminating the threats from Takeda.

Then, her eyes looked at the window of her room, to see one, or probably two horses approaching the castle.

"Who are they?"

"What do you mean by "Who are they?"" Ujizane suddenly barged in, startling her.

"Oh please, I haven't asked you to come." Hayakawa scolded. "But, well, I saw one or two horses coming to our direction."

"Really? Hmm...should we greet them? They brought no banners so probably they're from our family or just peasants."

"I sure hope they do."

* * *

On the Castle gate.

Munekatsu and Nagachika looked at the town area to see that it was burned. Munekatsu felt a pang of guilt for not defending Odawara.

Nagachika, instead of guilt, felt much of an anger. He could understand if one killing another for peace, like protecting lords or whatever. But his brain couldn't process the act of killing innocents, let alone the fact it was done by Hōjō's own ally.

"Curse those Takeda fools." Nagachika muttered.

"Save your anger, Nagachika. Calling the Takeda nasty names won't change anything better." Munekatsu said.

The two soon arrived near the castle main keep gate, and was greeted by the eldest son of the Hōjō Lord. They immediately bowed down.

"Ujimasa-sama, please have mercy on us." Munekatsu begged.

"Huh? Why suddenly say such things?" the heir of Hōjō was confused.

"We failed to be present to defend Odawara, which caused a loss for the Hōjō. We're ready to be punished." Nagachika explained.

Ujimasa was flattered by the two warriors' devotion and responsibility. Unlike most lords, Ujimasa, much like his father Ujiyasu, cared about his retainers very well, and refused to punish him.

"It's okay, we would actually lose, anyway. Takeda's assault was so sudden that we can't prepare our troops. I also knew about your duty as the Mōri...oh...Kobayakawa, to be precise, retainer. We can't force you to go back, and since you did, we'll be most grateful by now. I humbly accept your apology and I decided to deny any punishment to you." Ujimasa replied.

"Thank you, Ujimasa-sama." Munekatsu thanked as both warriors bowed again.

Being on sickness, Ujiyasu decided to leave the politics, law and administrative acts to his heir Ujimasa. The Lion of Sagami himself suffered an illness which might possibly made him unable to hold out for long. Ujimasa, although was not as skilled as his father, humbly accept the responsibility and began ruling the Hōjō.

Ujimasa, looking at the two, just chuckled.

"Come in, you two. Are you going to bow down like that forever?"

"Eh...No...sorry, my lord." Nagachika said before helping his father to get up and went inside the castle inner area.

As Ujimasa went inside, he bumped into his older sister and her husband, which looks like in a hurry.

"Hey, what's with the fuss?" Ujimasa asked.

"We saw two bannerless horses coming towards our castle's direction, I just wanted to greet them both." Hayakawa replied.

"Well, those two had just been greeted by me." Ujimasa chuckled again. "It's just Munekatsu and his son coming back from the Mōri. They did apologize for not joining us in defending from the Takeda Invasion, but I have pardoned them."

A surprised look was on Hayakawa's face. "Can I talk with them?"

"Sure, but why..." Ujimasa suddenly remembered about the connection of her to the Mōri, "Oh...I see. You may go, _ane-ue_ , they are on the front gate."

"Okay, thanks, Ujimasa." Hayakawa said before walking towards the front gate. "You coming, Ujizane-sama?"

"No, I guess if you want to talk about the Mōri, then I probably shouldn't chime in." Ujizane replied.

Hayakawa pouted, but she knew that the Imagawa wanted to stay without contact with the Mōri since they didn't want to cause a rift with the Takeda and the Imagawa's protector, the Tokugawa, so she just went outside alone.

"Aren't you jealous of her?" Ujimasa asked.

"Why should I?"

"I mean, although she was officially your wife, a piece of her heart still synchronized with those Takakage fellow."

"It's okay, I'm not jealous. She legitimately is my wife and so be it. As long as I cared about her, she won't have any bad terms with me. In fact, I wanted to see Takakage myself if I had the chance, oh and my daughter-in-law too."

"You seem unfazed by our secret bond with the Mōri." Ujimasa said.

"That's because I've seen this as a good opportunity to bring peace. We have already an ally from the east, and now secretly from the west. At least one chaos cause had been anticipated. That differentiates us from the Takeda, which wanted to take control by chaos." Ujizane replied.

"That's really thoughtful of you. I just hope peace could be achieved as quickly as possible."

"I sure do."

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the castle.

Munekatsu and Nagachika walked up the stairs towards the main keep door, but seeing Hayakawa in front of them, they immediately stopped and bowed down again.

"Hayakawa-dono. We wanted to apologize..."

"No, just cut it out. I've already heard from Ujimasa." Hayakawa replied. "You are all pardoned and very welcome here."

"Thank you, _Hime-sama_."

"Anyway, I really want to ask about something. Can you both follow me?" Hayakawa said as she began to turn back into the castle."

The two Nomi warriors just nodded and followed her into the castle. They followed her into the Hōjō meeting room.

"So, since the two of you had just arrived from the Mōri household, can I ask you a few things?"

"Sure, my lady, what is it?"

"Well, I just want to know, is Takakage-sama alright? We've been losing contact for years and I want to know how he is." Hayakawa blushed after asking the question.

"Takakage-sama is alright right now. He's still healthy and cunning,as usual." Munekatsu replied. "In fact, he sent some letters for milady. But I felt like not giving it right now."

"Why?"

Munekatsu was silent for a bit. "I'm sorry, but Takakage-sama thought that you're still heartbroken from the Takeda's Invasion, so I thought it's best to give the letters much later."

"No, it's okay. It was already long gone and maybe letters from him could heal me." Hayakawa replied again, another blush formed in her cheeks.

"My lady sure blush a lot," Nagachika snapped, earning a glare from his father.

"Hey, you're rude." Munekatsu grumbled at his son's sudden snap.

"Haha, it's okay, Munekatsu-sama. Oh, and one more thing."

Munekatsu knew very well what Hayakawa wanted to ask.

"I...Is Shinhana alive?"

Munekatsu breathed a sigh of relief, 'Just as I thought'

"Well, to be honest, yes she is. She was on her late teens and was very spirited. However..."

Hayakawa was nervous hearing the "however" from Munekatsu.

"Due to her spirit and commitment, she now also proceed on battles together with us." That sentence brought Hayakawa in shock.

"R...Really? I hope she didn't suffer critical injuries."

"She almost did, she once fell into an ambush..."

Hayakawa's face turned into an intense worry.

"But she managed to avoid death thanks to my son over here." Munekatsu gazed at his son, who blushed hearing the commotion.

"That's a relief, Thank you so much for your heroic acts." Hayakawa thanked the younger Nomi warrior.

"I'm just doing my part to protect her." Nagachika said. "She's also my responsibility." He continued, but Hayakawa could see a faint blush suddenly appears on his cheeks.

"That's great enough to hear. Anyway, can I see the letters Takakage had sent me?"

Munekatsu then gave all three letters to her, earning a confusion from his son.

"Okay, I'll be back after reading these letters. Meanwhile you can stay here or go somewhere else, enjoy your time with the Hōjō again."

"Thank You, Milady."

Hayakawa then left the room and went onto her own room, while Nagachika was still confused on the letter giveaway.

"Uh...Father?"

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't we give just the condolences and Takakage's private letters first, then the marriage agreement latter? Why did you give all three letters?"

Munekatsu suddenly remembered, and checked his holdings to find out that all three letters were gone instead of two.

"Damn...Takakage-sama's gonna kill me."

* * *

-At Hayakawa's Room-

Ujizane was a bit surprised for seeing Hayakawa carrying three letters with quite a smile.

"What's that?"

"Uh...well...some letters from our secret ally. The two bannerless people we saw was actually our retainer which also worked for them."

"The secret ally, you mean the Mōri then?"

Hayakawa just nodded. She took a seat on the _tatami_ on her room and began opening the letters (scrolls, to be exact).

The first one contained condolences from Takakage and the entire Mōri clan. Reading this letter made Hayakawa flinched and was flattered. How the Mōri felt so sympathetic to her and her family.

The second one was Takakage's...well..."private letter". Hayakawa actually blushed and giggled reading the letter. Seems like Takakage was still being quite playful with her on the letter. Ujizane took notice on his wife's behavior, and although a pang of jealousy hit him, he tried to endure it for the sake of peace...or that's what he had thought himself.

But as she reached the last parts of the letter, her face changed into a more serious one.

"Takakage...what have you done?" Hayakawa muttered.

"What's wrong?" Ujizane asked.

"Nothing...it's just, I can't believe Takakage let...um...my daughter enter a battlefield." Hayakawa said.

"For a Mōri, that's quite common, I think. I knew Takakage had some motives behind all those acts."

"Yeah, he had said about that. But he was too ruthless, I think. How can he put his own daughter on that life-staking condition like that?"

Ujizane thought for a moment, before thinking of other reasons. "Maybe, he didn't wanted to, but someone forced him?"

"What, like his father, maybe? But usually women didn't go to war, and almost every family knew that." Hayakawa replied.

"Then, what if, although in rare cases, it was his own daughter, I mean your daughter herself who forced him?"

Hayakawa was beyond shock, "That doesn't make sense...why on earth she wanted to force her father to send her on a battlefield?"

"Well aren't you almost the same? You also went for the battlefield on our defense against the Uesugi." Ujizane reminded.

"But...that's for defending our home and family." Hayakawa defended.

"The same might go for her. She wanted to defend her home and family, which on this time is the Mōri." Ujizane replied. "If that's the case, Takakage seemed to have almost no choices but to send her on one. And as cunning as a strategist usually are, he must've find a way to ensure her safety and to gain benefit from her determination."

"In this letter, he said that he taught discipline and obedience from the battle, and ensured her safety by assigning a guardian..."

"See? He was not as merciless and ruthless as you had previously thought." Ujizane replied.

"Oh...right. Thanks for reminding me, Ujizane-sama, although I'm still wondering why you felt like trying to defend Takakage like our own family..." Hayakawa asked

"Well, isn't he our family?"

"Not legitimately... but to hear that you are fond of him like this, I was quite relieved."

"Uh...by the way, there's still one more letter you hadn't opened. Won't you open it?"

"I was just going to open it." Hayakawa opened the last letter and found something quite different.

It's not an ordinary letter, it was something like a treaty.

"Well, this letter is quite unexpected..."

"What? What is it?" Ujizane asked.

Hayakawa was reluctant to answer at first, since Ujizane had nothing to do with it, but...well, he insisted, so...

"It was a marriage agreement..."

* * *

-A few hours later-

Hayakawa went back with the three letters on her palms.

"So, I've read all this three letters, and found it quite interesting."

The two Nomi warriors were a bit tense. Hayakawa noticed this.

"Why were all of you nervous? This is not a session of punishment, you know." Hayakawa chuckled.

"Eh...sorry." The younger Nomi warrior apologized.

"Okay, so, I've read about Takakage's condolences for us from the Mōri. I must say that we really appreciated your condolences, and they're actually enough, because we can't have you reinforce us anyway."

The two Nomi warriors smiled.

"So, send my regards for Takakage and others too."

"We will, Thank you, _Hime-sama_." Munekatsu replied.

"Well, for the second, I was relieved for knowing that Hana was still alive, and was under your protection, Nagachika, I can't thank you enough for this."

"T...Thank you, _Hime-sama_."

"I'm really looking forward to see all of you soon, when the peace was finally achieved."

"Don't worry, _Hime-sama_ , I will continue to make sure she lived until she can reunite with you." Nagachika promised.

"That's what I really like to hear. Your son surely was one determined person, Munekatsu."

Munekatsu just smiled and bowed down.

"Anyway, for the third, I was quite surprised to be sent a marriage agreement including my daughter."

The warriors tense up again.

"For me not seeing my own daughter for so long, I was kinda confused on how to answer this. But Takakage had mentioned a lot about you and how you protected my daughter. Anyway, is that wound because of her?" Hayakawa asked as she pointed on Nagachika's bandaged left arm.

"Um, that came from an enemy, actually." Nagachika replied.

"I know what my lady meant by the question. She's asking if the wound was actually made because of Hana." Munekatsu explained. "I knew what happened from what Hana had told on the other day. She remembered that when both her and my son battled a mighty warrior, Hana lost focus and was about to be taken down by a slash, but Nagachika blocked it by his arm, and that caused this wound..."

"Oh, so it really was because of her." Hayakawa chuckled. "Well, I could see Takakage's reasoning and how he eerily wanted you to prove yourself. So, well, I've decided to put my agreement for your marriage. Although well I can't possibly went to Aki because of this signed alliance between me, Imagawa, and *sigh* Takeda, but I believe I can see you soon and... please take care of her well, Nagachika." Hayakawa said, followed by a bow down from the two Nomi warriors.

"We humbly accepted your gratitude and so we also were very grateful for my lady's agreement. I promise my son will take care of her well." Munekatsu said.

"Thank you. And, well, I guess Takakage and my daughter is definitely waiting for you to go back, although I wished you could stay here for longer. Here's a little letter for Takakage and the signed marriage agreement, and you may go." Hayakawa said, dismissing the two warriors.

"Thank you, my lady. We'll take our leave."

As the two warriors went off back to Aki, Hayakawa couldn't help but smile. Tears also flowing from her light beautiful blue eyes, a joyful one.

She had just found out that there's still a glimpse of hope for her. She might be able to see her last hope, her long-lost daughter.

Although actually, the way to reach this hope was nothing easy, especially when a certain last will is going to be her hard obstacle.

* * *

 **A/N: OMG! What a long chapter, and one of the most disorganized too. I was quite rushing the story because I don't have much time before I need to prepare myself for the campus project. I needed to finish this before the project or I might lose interest in the story, whicu can seeh I won't let happening.**

 **The Next Chapter will be started with a 3 or 4 year Timeskip, followed by another 3-year timeskip.**

 **Anyway, the certain "Last Will" that I mentioned on the last sentence was actually Ujiyasu's last will. You can see what it is about and how it affected Hayakawa on the KOEI's SW4 Biography of Lady Hayakawa.**

 **Thank you Scarlet 'n Blossom-sensei for helping me with a certain plot confusion, and sorry if I can't live up to your expectations.**

 **Please R &R!**


	9. Retreat and Showdown against Oda

**A/N: Here's another Chapter! Sorry if it's disorganized**

 **RosyMiranto18: Author: Uh-Oh! (*Taking a sword*) Let us fight with honor, Kazada!**

 **Kazada: (*Battle*, managed to knock out the author)**

 **Hana: Oh no, he's knocked out. So maybe I'll do the reply. Well Battle of Mikatagahara doesn't involve the Mōri so I skipped it. You will know the second battle soon enough**

 **Here's Chapter 9!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Retreat to Tokugawa & Showdown against Oda

Odawara, 1572

-Hayakawa's PoV-

It's been two years since Munekatsu and Nagachika visited us and giving news about Hana. Part of me was very excited, of course. At least I still got chances to meet her, although when, I don't know.

As such, I was pretty surprised that my daughter was now married to my own retainer, and Takakage's, if you squint.

I am looking forward to visiting her, but one obstacle had just postponed my dream.

Right now I was packing my belongings, ready to leave Kantō. I was reluctant at first, but I had no choice.

* * *

-Flashback-

 _Odawara, 1571_

" _May the Gods bless him on his journey to the afterlife." A priest said._

 _I knew this day might come. Even the scary but well-liked Lion of Sagami had one thing he can't take care of: Death._

 _Yeah, my father, the Lion of Sagami, succumbed to illness. The Hōjō had just lost our great leader, the well-liked Government Official, the man who keep on protecting the people , who blames himself if the people were harmed._

 _We will always miss him, no matter what._

 _Yes, I would think like that, until I found out about something that might change my faith forever._

 _A few days later_

 _I was sitting on my room, trying to release the stress and sadness from our father's passing. Apparently another news also passed along this year. Some days or months prior, Takakage's father, the great Motonari Mōri also died, leaving the legacy of Mōri under his grandson Terumoto Mōri. Munekatsu managed to visit us, although Nagachika didn't accompany him, which I found it no-brainer since Nagachika was busy taking care of my beloved Hana, of course. He offered condolences from him and the entire Mōri household, which I humbly accept. Being loyal to two lords, let alone the fact they died at the same year should've put him in a double-down state, but apparently he managed to deny all his sadness._

 _Many of our comrades visited us, offering deep condolences, that includes my husband's protector Ieyasu Tokugawa, even our used-to-be invaders Kenshin Uesugi and Shingen Takeda. Although I was still on bad terms with them, I managed to hold it back and accepted the condolences._

 _But that was the only I tolerate them about. I can't put my belief on them if they did want another alliance with us. Nothing more than utter lies._

 _I will stay to keep the Hōjō safe. I wanted to do the best from Hōjō like I used to before._

 _But it soon faded after I see a group of Takeda cavalries marched towards us._

" _What the..." I thought._

 _Do they have another business with us? Isn't invading us not enough? Isn't burning our town of peasants and harmless merchants not enough?_

 _All of it was answered by Ujimasa entering my room._

" _Ane-ue, can you please come with us to greet our guests?"_

 _Guests? How come that invaders now acted as our guest?_

" _The Takeda...I assume?"_

" _Right..."_

" _How can they become our guest? Do we invite them to do so?"_

" _Actually, Father's last will summoned them here. I myself couldn't say much but we seem to have no choice, for the sake of Father and the Hōjō."_

 _Confusion rose within me. "Father's last will? Could you tell me about it?"_

" _Well, Father wanted us to renew our alliances with the Takeda."_

 _I froze_

 _That was the most unbearable thing I don't wanna hear._

 _Father, have you lost your mind?_

 _Of course we can't forgive them on what happened with us because of them. We've lost our family, we've lost Saburō, and now we are going to ally with them again?_

 _How foolish can we become? This is ultimately not right!_

 _I can't hold this anymore. I don't want to suffer under Takeda again. I don't want to lose the ones I loved again._

" _Ujimasa, I hope this is not our last time we meet. I have to go."_

" _W...Wait, ane-ue, Why?" Ujimasa was shocked on my outburst._

" _I can't stand being with Takeda, they're the cause of Saburō's parting with us, the cause of the peasants' death."_

" _But I know what father planned. By allying back with the Takeda, we can maintain the peace in Hōjō from Uesugi and Oda's attempt of invasion."_

" _But, I disagree if we sought protection from the one which even have invaded us. We can't maintain peace if we just make many more alliances even with the ones which caused us drawbacks. I can't help it, but I'm moving away." I said._

 _Ujimasa kept his head down. He knew really much how I hated the Takeda from that time on. And now he just wanted to renew the alliance at father's will? I personally won't agree with that!"_

-End Flashback-

* * *

-3rd person's PoV-

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ujizane asked "Although we knew that the Tokugawa had been protecting our family, but I felt the man like Ieyasu is one who sought peace by force. Why didn't we go to the Mōri instead? "

"Well, I planned to sail to the Mōri household, but seems like I can't. Your family is protected with Tokugawa, and as such we can't risk on going to the Mōri. What's more, Ieyasu is now allying with Nobunaga, from what I have heard, and Nobunaga is now in war with the Mōri, so we can't just go there, right?"

"How do you know?" Ujizane asked

"Munekatsu told me. He said that the condition at Mōri itself is also not as good as we had thought, his allies were attacked by Nobunaga, and since I learned that Nobunaga allied with Ieyasu, then that makes us, a little part of Ieyasu, become Mōri's enemy instead." Hayakawa said.

"Oh, now I get it. By the way, how was Munekatsu? How can he make his way back to the Mōri?" Ujizane asked.

"That's his benefit on having two lords. He was a Hōjō retainer so he could make it safely to the nearby port which is owned by Nobunaga. From there he could change his crest to the Mōri and sailed onto Mōri's area." Hayakawa said. "I've sent a message through Munekatsu to keep their allegiance to the Mōri and not worrying about us anymore."

"So, it's a goodbye then, we won't be sending letters to Takakage anymore." Ujizane said.

"Sadly, no. But I sure hope we can reunite somehow." Hayakawa replied. "Okay, so we're set to go."

On the first floor, however they bumped into one of their trusted retainers, Ujinaga Narita.

"I...Is it true? That my lady wanted to move away?" he asked.

"Yes, you're right, Ujinaga- _sama_." Hayakawa replied. "We have no choice. We were really sorry for abandoning the Hōjō, which I vowed to protect, my family. But I can't just accept the fact that Hōjō wanted to ally with Takeda again. I will seek protection from Ieyasu instead, and see if he could help us defend the Hōjō."

"In that case, let me join you, my lady. I also wanted to get Hōjō protected from the Takeda."

"No, you can't. You're still our family and I don't want you to take part on this dangerous quest. Please stay here and do your best for the Hōjō." Hayakawa ordered. "Please, take care of little Kai too, she could have been a great help to the Hōjō one day."

"I understand. Thank you, Hayakawa- _dono_." Ujinaga replied.

Hayakawa and Ujizane then mounted their horses, ready to leave for Tokugawa's Manor not far from there.

From afar, Ujimasa looked at his sister leaving, and beat himself for the cause of her departure.

He was unable to see much more forward, the threats from the alliance.

He knew he was less capable than his father.

* * *

-Aki, 1573-

"How was the battle going?" Takakage asked one of his pages.

"It's not going well, Nobunaga's forces had almost breached the castle town, the civilians there are in danger." The page said.

"The arrows they shot was piercing its target." Takakage muttered. "The damages to the peasants will be irreparable if this keeps going on. We need to devise a strategy to help the peasants." Takakage said.

Hana just looked at her father, she could see his tension rose on this battle.

It had been three years since she had been married to Nagachika, but at the same times it had been three years also that Nobunaga decided to attack their allies, the civilians and the Buddhist priests residing near them.

"I can't believe this is really happening. Nobunaga's waging war on almost every provinces." Hana said to her husband.

"He was already making his own move, to end this chaos. However I supposed that he was too ruthless by attacking our harmless allies there. The _ikko-ikki_ , they have no intention of waging wars, and they were just attacked by that force. I really could say that Nobunaga looks more like a demon." Nagachika replied.

"D...Do you think this war will be over soon?"

"I really hope so. But as long as our lord refuses to bow to Nobunaga, then he will always try to dominate us with all cost. But bowing down to Nobunaga might cost also our peasant's lands. They will suffer without their lands." Nagachika said. "It seemed like we have no choice but to resist while at the same time, tried to protect the innocent. That was what I learned from your father." Nagachika replied.

"F...Father..."

"He was one soft and kind-hearted strategist, yet a hard-working and determined one at a time, a rare breed, if you want me to tell." Nagachika said.

"I wonder if I could sail there and take part of this battle forcefully." Hana replied. "But I can't just leave Tadayasu behind." Hana said.

Yes, after the marriage between Hana and Nagachika, two years later was born their first son, Tadayasu Nomi, just a few days before 1573. Hana was on her rehearsing state, she was unable to go to battle for a while, although part of her still wanted to. Besides, Tadayasu was still needing her care, so for this reason she stayed on the castle, helping her father and her husband planning on reinforcements and strategies to help the _Ikko-Ikki_ against Nobunaga's expansion.

"So, I guess the best way to help the civilians is to supply the surviving members with food and weapons, while the disabled ones could be transferred to our domain." Takakage said, "What do you think, Motoharu?"

"Well, since we were unable to defeat Nobunaga by head-to-head combat, then that was our only choice." Motoharu said.

"If that's the case, then I'll send some ships to carry the disabled right now, is it okay, uncle?" Terumoto said.

The two veterans nodded.

Suddenly a man barged in, startling the other Mōri members.

"Oh...Munekatsu, you're back." Takakage greeted his chief retainer.

"Hi, Father!" Nagachika greeted the same person

"Nice to meet you again, Nagachika. And Takakage- _sama_ , it seems that Hayakawa- _dono_ had left some news and letters for you, a very important one."

"Sure, apparently we've just finished our brief meeting, so what kind of news is it?" Takakage said.

"The situation is not good in Kantō. It seems that Ujimasa Hōjō, son of the deceased Ujiyasu Hōjō had decided to renew his alliance with the Takeda."

"I...It can't be! And anyone just accepted it, like that?" Motoharu replied.

"No, Lady Hayakawa objected this alliance, but since it was her father's last will, she had no right to deny it, so, she had no choice but to flee from Kantō." Munekatsu said, shocking the Mōri family, except Hana and Takakage.

Hana never knew about Hayakawa before, so she wasn't surprised of that. While Takakage, on the other hand, knew this possibility, and knew very well where she could have been fleeing to.

"I suppose she only had one choice if she wanted to flee, the most safest place for her and her husband." Takakage said, before Munekatsu said it for him.

"Tokugawa Army."

Takakage just nodded.

Since Hana was in the room, Hana listened to the conversation, and one thing now glimmered in her heart.

"Who is this Hayakawa? What is her relation to father?"

This curiosity was the beginning of the revealing of Hana's ultimate secret.

* * *

(Timeskip)

Aki, late 1576

Six years have passed since Nobunaga's domination against _Ikko-Ikki, Saika-Ikki_ and Mōri clan. The battles oh Ishiyama Hongan-ji was reaching its peak since the supplies of the Hongan-ji warriors (Ikko-Ikki and others) began to plummet.

To make matters worse, Nobunaga had enlisted another campaign against the Mōri.

"Terumoto-sama...I bring news!" A Mōri page barged into the Mōri's household. "It seems that Nobunaga's ships are approaching our supply ships."

This made the Mōri warriors surprised. Terumoto was not expecting that, but not for the mind of the Mōri.

"Terumoto, let me devise a plan to counter them." Takakage suddenly said.

"U...Uncle, you are allowed to do so." Terumoto replied.

"Okay, Munekatsu, Nagachika, Hana, Motoharu, and Hiroie, come with me." Takakage ordered.

The said warriors nodded and followed Takakage into the meeting room.

* * *

 _The retreat from Tatarahama was successful, as the Mōri forces safely made their way back to Aki._

 _One year later, however, the daimyō of Owari province, Nobunaga Oda, began to rise in unifying the nation._

 _He ordered Ieyasu to take care of the eastern side, battling the Takeda, and he himself to the west. He began to strike forward to the west, and began assault on Ishiyama Hongan-ji._

 _However, the warriors inside Hongan-ji managed to hold out against Nobunaga's assault for quite a long time, thanks for the supplies from the Mōri clan._

 _To lessen the threat, in 1576, Nobunaga ordered his retainer Yoshitaka Kuki to sail towards the Mōri waters, with his goal to destroy Ikko-Ikki's supply lines from the Mōri._

 _In response, Takakage requested Terumoto to began a mission to repel the Oda fleet. He also appointed his daughter, Shinhana Kobayakawa, his son-in-law Nagachika Nomi, his brother Motoharu Kikkawa, and his retainer Munekatsu Nomi to participate on the resistance._

 _Thus, the Mōri and Oda will begin their first naval confrontation in the Mōri's naval area of Kizugawa._

 _The Forbidden Girl: Battle 2: 1st Battle of Kizugawaguchi_

* * *

 **That ends this short filler chapter. The next chapter will be another battle that is quite important in the Mōri history of war against Nobunaga.**

 **Please R &R **


	10. Battle 2-1st Battle of Kizugawa

**A/N: Here comes our 2nd of probably 8-9 battles. (Do not treat this as the same with the original SW4-II campaign which had 5 stages.) This battle is nonexistent in SW4-II except on the little cutscene on the prologue of Takakage Kobayakawa's "Wisdom and Grace".**

 **Alright let's reply some reviews:**

 **RosyMiranto18**

 **Yeah, you're definitely right, they will probably meet at Komaki-Nagakute, but I haven't confirmed it 100% true.**

 **Hana: Sorry if we're late, but Thank You! We promise to be a good couple on this warring era (*Blush*).**

 **Oh, and btw, I've read a little about Kimura Aki, maybe for a little instance I can also put them in my story too! And we'll be expecting you!**

 **Scarlet 'n Blossom**

 **Hana: (*Blush like heck*) U...Um...Are we busted? Do you spy on us?**

 **Nagachika: Nah, it's okay Hana, the author did tell the readers about us. No one spied us anyway.**

 **Hana: Eh, Blossom-** _ **dono**_ **, should we get you a handkerchief? That nosebleed looks dangerous. Oh, and Suzu, maybe someday you should try to kiss your man! (I don't want to say who your man is since it's already clearly obvious XD)**

 **Nagachika: We like to thank you for your appreciation of us as a perfect couple, but nobody is perfect, we knew we will have a lot of differences and disagreements, but as long as we could embrace ourselves for a silent understanding, then it won't be a problem.**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 10!**

Chapter 10- 1st Battle of Kizugawaguchi.

* * *

In the Meeting Room

"Okay, so what do we got about the enemy forces?" the mind of the Mōri asked.

"Our scouts reported about 250-300 vessels approaching us. Their leader was one of the famed pirate named Yoshitaka Kuki." Hiroie replied.

"Oh well, they did send their best generals to attack us, so we should do the same in return. To counter them, I'll assign Munekatsu to lead our forces." Takakage said.

"The honor is all mine."

"Okay, for this naval battle we will deploy about 300 vessels, which will be divided into 3 groups. All of us will board the central ships. The left flank will be commanded by the Shimizu Brothers, the right flank will be commanded by Takeyoshi Murakami." Takakage explained.

All of the participants nodded in understanding.

"Okay, so the battle flow will be quite simple, we will board their ship as we passed them, but we won't do this for all ships. Some of them will be burned, and to ensure that, we will use our luring tactics, did everyone understand?"

Everyone in the room nodded again.

"For the luring tactic, every ship must hear my orders, make sure every of your subordinate readied themselves every time." Takakage said. "Next, about the placements:

"Officers under the Inoue and Hiraga will board the frontline ships. Do not attack rashly and please obey the orders from the Central ship."

"Officers under the Shimizu and Ankokuji will board the left flank ships. Keep our formation safe by taking care of enemies on the left, but don't be too far out."

"Officers under the Murakami and Kodama will board the right flank ships. Your task is almost the same as the left flanks.

"Officers under the Kumagai and Shishido will board the backline ships. Your task is to take care of enemies behind us and securing a path so the provisions could make way to our ships."

"Officers under Yoshitake Iida will be tasked on provisions. Your task is to supply our forces with food and supplies. You will be backed up with relief force under the Niizato."

"The rest of the officers, except the ones under Kuchiba, Kunishi, and Mōri , will board the Central ship. Your mission is to observe the battlefield and giving information about the flow of the battle to us."

"For officers under Kuchiba, Kunishi, and Mōri, I assume that you're all powerful and cunning enough to defend our lands here in Aki."

"Okay, that's all about the formation. Did anyone understand?"

Every officer nodded in agreement.

"Okay then, Hana, Nagachika, Munekatsu- _sama_ , and Motoharu _ani-ue_ stay here for a moment. For the others, you're all dismissed." Takakage ordered.

All of the officers did as they were told, leaving Takakage, Hana, Nagachika, Munekatsu and Motoharu in the meeting room.

"So, I just wanted to ask a little more to you all personally. Starting from _ani-ue_. I know _ani-ue_ was talented in combat, so please lend me your strength in this battle."

"For the Mōri clan, I will do my best." Motoharu replied. "You shouldn't be too worried."

"That's what I expected from you, _ani-ue_. Now, for Munekatsu, you have been our greatest retainer since my deceased father's rise. You have my respect, especially with your talents and experiences. I expected the best on using your talents and experiences in commanding our forces."

"I will, for the sake of Mōri clan. We'll stop this ambitious campaign for good." Munekatsu replied.

"And finally, for our youngsters Hana and Nagachika. Hana, I have put faith in you battling again. I adored your courage. But this time, please, don't let me suffer another heart-attack from you fallen for another ambush."

"Don't worry, father. I'll do my best to control myself."

"I believed you could do it, but for safety's sake, you'll join us in the central ship, awaiting Munekatsu's or my orders."

Hana frowned, "B...But..."

"I know what your father meant, Hana. Your safety is also our priority. It would be nice if you could survive an attack, but it would be much nicer if we could prevent such attack." Nagachika said, calming his wife.

"Your husband's right, Hana. You can attack like you want if we have given the orders, but for now, you need to stay safe with us. Do you understand, Hana?" Takakage asked again.

"Uh...I understand."

"Great, and for Nagachika, I have devoted my daughter's protection to you. You have shown your determination, compassion and selflessness as a guardian. Now, with you becoming her eternal guardian, I expect the greatest effort from you. Make us proud."

"With all respect, I will do my best for Takakage- _sama_ and for the Mōri clan, and of course for Hana, too." Nagachika said.

"I'm looking forward to it. So all of us will be in the Central ship. Let's put our best effort this time and secure a victory, for the Mōri clan!"

All of them bowed, and were dismissed.

* * *

The next day

Yoshitaka Kuki's fleet had entered the Mōri's naval area, storming in with 300 vessels. Yoshitaka Kuki himself had boarded the Oda's Central Ship, commanding the entire Oda fleet. Depending on the wind speed and their formation, they will reach the supply line in a few hours.

"We've almost reaching our destination." A Kuki pirate told his commander.

"Good to know. We've finally made it without problem. Now, ready your weapons, anytime you see a Mōri supply ship, make sure your distance is close enough and fire at them." Yoshitaka ordered.

"Aaaaargh!" the subordinate screamed. "Hunt them down!"

* * *

Meanwhile in the Mōri Stronghold

Munekatsu was final-checking the entire Mōri fleet. They will soon depart to engage the Oda fleet and protecting their supply line to the Ishiyama Hongan-ji.

"Takakage-sama, Hana, Nagachika, I know you all can do it. Please bring a victory back home." Lady Toida said to her family.

"We will, don't you worry so much, Toida _-dono_." Takakage replied as he hugged her.

"Father, Mother, please make it back safely." Hana's son, Tadayasu begged.

"Don't worry, my son. We will make it safely. Please be nice to your grandma and your little sis, okay?" Nagachika advised.

"O...Okay. I promise to be a nice boy."

With that, the family parted and Takakage, Hana, Nagachika and Munekatsu entered the Central Ship, ready to battle.

* * *

-Meanwhile in Kai-

Lady Hayakawa and her husband Ujizane was in a manor near Tokugawa's, enjoying the protection from Ieyasu. The future shogun himself had welcomed them just after they retreated from Mikatagahara about 3 years ago.

Hayakawa, at that time, was taking care of her second legitimate son, Takahisa Shinagawa, which is still a baby.

Ieyasu himself was on a conquest to stop the impeding forces of Takeda.

But it was some time ago, as suddenly a messenger had just went back to inform the others at the Tokugawa territory.

"Reporting! Our Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa is back!"

Hayakawa, Ujizane, and their first son, Norimochi Imagawa then exited the manor, along with infant Takahisa, proceeding to the gate, where the villagers were ready to welcome their lord.

And as they arrived, a horde of warriors, led by Tadatsugu Sakai and Yasumasa Sakakibara slowly entered the village. On the back of them was Kazumasa Ishikawa and Naomasa Ii, behind them was the great Tadakatsu Honda, and Ieyasu Tokugawa was on the back, which everyone found a bit strange, since usually the lord led in front, not at the back.

A choir of praises was made as Ieyasu entered the village onto his manor, looking left and right onto the lining villagers.

As Ieyasu entered his manor, Hayakawa spotted a messenger running at Ieyasu with full speed."

"Lord Ieyasu, I bring news! Our ally, the Oda, had begun a battle with the Mōri forces of the west. Should we give reinforcements?"

Hearing this, Tadakatsu walked and bowed in front of his master. "Allow me to reinforce the Oda by proceeding to the battlefield."

The same goes for Naomasa. "Let me sweep out those Mōri fools."

Hearing the unpleasant words from Naomasa made Hayakawa flinch and angered, but she knew she can't show it or the Tokugawa retainers will be curious.

"It was unneeded." Ieyasu replied. "My retainers had done a lot on our campaigns against the Takeda, and our supplies were depleting, so it would be wise to take a rest and fill our supplies first. And anyway, this is Oda we're talking about, they will surely have their other allies and their strength was enormous enough. So, you two better take a rest."

The two retainers bowed, and made their way to their homes.

"Well that was a close one." Hayakawa mumbled. "I really can't imagine if those two strong warriors had to fare with Takakage. He'll have no chance against them."

"Please be safe, Takakage."

* * *

-Kizugawa, 1576-

"Enemy ships had been sighted. Prepare yourself!" Munekatsu said as one of his scouts told him about the Oda fleet being visible.

"Alright, time for some action!" Hana said spiritedly.

"Watch yourself, Hana. Don't do anything silly. I don't wanna lose you." Nagachika said.

"Yeah...yeah...I know. Don't treat me like a little child."

Soon the distance of the two fleets were getting nearer. As the ships entered a combat range, Munekatsu gave an order.

"Central Unit, Fire the Cannons!. Side Units, sail to the farther side! Front Unit, board their frontline ship!"

The Mōri forces did what exactly Munekatsu had told. Just a few hours and the frontline fleet of Oda fleet was jeopardized.

"Now, Central Unit 2 and 3, substitute the side units and continue our march!" Munekatsu ordered.

Several of the central units began filling the empty formation which was left by the side unit, making it look like their full formation, with only about 100 ships.

While the Oda had lost their frontline fleet, Yoshitaka looked at the very thin pseudo-formation the Mōri forces had made, a grin crossed his face.

"So is that the famous Mōri Navy I see? Their formation was so thin. I guess they have no skills in deploying formations." Yoshitaka thought.

"The rest of frontline forces, join up with the central forces. Their formation is thin and weak, get them and board their ships!"

The fleet responded and rushed towards the Mōri formation.

Looking at the sudden rush. Munekatsu was approached by Takakage.

"It is time! Now!" Takakage said.

"Sir!" Munekatsu replied. "All unit, turn around and split in two, we're going to retreat!"

The main units and the provisions unit split in two and moved backwards, which deceived the Oda fleet.

"You would flee, cowards of the Mōri? I thought you were known for your skills in Naval Combat. But is this your skill?" Yoshitaka exclaimed. "Main Unit! Attack from the center and sides!"

The formation of Oda fleet split in three, ready to encircle the Mōri Navy, unaware of the little but important scheme Takakage had put in.

"Central Ship, fire the signal cannons!" Munekatsu ordered.

The ship which was occupied by the main forces fired a barrage of cannons, signaling their tactic's realization.

"The cannons have been fired! Main side units, board their side formations!"

Suddenly the main side units of the Mōri rushed from the far sides, onto the side formations of the Oda fleet. Many of the side formation ships were quickly boarded by Mōri forces.

"What? They did have a flank ambush?" Yoshitaka was shocked, not realizing that they have fallen into the Mōri army trap.

Oda fleet's side units were busy repelling the sudden ambush, leaving their central formation unguarded and alone.

"Now, finally! All central and substitute side units, along with the back units, Fire the Flaming Arrows to the Oda Central Formation!" Munekatsu gave his all-out orders.

"Boom!" the cannons and fire arrows flew towards the central Oda fleet, sinking two-thirds of the fleet in an instant.

"Aaargh! You cursed Mōri fools! Wait for our revenge!" Yoshitaka grumbled. "All units, fall back!"

With that, the rest of the Oda fleet fell back towards Owari.

On the Mōri fleet, every soldier screamed in glee as they saw the Oda fleet fell back, meaning that the Mōri forces had scored a Victory.

"We won! Thank you so much, Takakage- _sama_!" Munekatsu said to his lord.

"Ah...no need to thank me. I should've thanked you for commanding our forces so fiercely and thoughtfully. I expect nothing less from you." Takakage replied.

* * *

On the other side of the deck,

"So, is this the end?" Hana asked her husband.

"Yeah, the Oda fleet has retreated. Victory is ours." Nagachika replied.

"Urgh...boring. I even haven't landed a cut on any officers yet." Hana pouted.

Nagachika frowned. "Tell me, do you enjoy killing people?"

"W...Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the question." Nagachika replied.

"Uh...n...no...of course." Hana stammered.

"Then, why do you so eager to cut down an officer? Have you changed into a ruthless maniac?"

"No...it's just...it's boring...you know."

"While I wanted to say that I was so happy that I DON'T have to kill anyone. Can you imagine the guilt just to kill one person...who still had families at their home, waiting for that person to come back?"

"Ungh... I get your point."

"Good, now just stay calm and let's go home."

* * *

-Meanwhile, not far from there, at nearby cliff-

"Damn, I knew it, Takakage had a scheme on this battle. And our fleet just did what Takakage wanted them to" A yellow-clothed man said. "I had to admit, but he was more dangerous than he looks."

"Hmm.." his friend, the pale-skinned dark-purple-clothed man just hummed.

"And yet he said he did this to save the people (residing in Hongan-ji, probably)."

"..."

"I can't say if he's kind or ruthless. But he might be some sort of chap like you, Kanbei." The yellow-clothed man said.

"Come on, Hanbei. Let's make a preparation to defeat Takakage one day." Kanbei, the pale-skinned man replied.

"Huu...h." Hanbei lazily groaned.

* * *

-In Oda Camp-

"My lord, I'm sorry that we failed to cut the supply lines of people in Hongan-ji." Yoshitaka bowed to his lord. "My apologies, and my lord could execute me for this loss."

Nobunaga just smirked.

"I forgive you, Yoshitaka. I'll give you one more chance. Luckily for us, we've got some new reinforcements coming in next year, so we might have another chance to defeat the Mōri once again. Don't fail me."

"Sir!" Yoshitaka bowed.

Yoshitaka then was dismissed and took a rest. Nobunaga, looking at the west direction, just smirked.

"You can't easily defeat me...Mōri. Worthless."

* * *

-Two Years Later-

Nobunaga decided to begin an assault against Mōri once more. Led by the same officer of Yoshitaka Kuki, Oda's fleet was now empowered with ironclad vessels, which is immune to fire arrows and cannons.

In response, Mōri had sent out another navy ships formation, which is almost the same as two years earlier. However, looking at the new vessels, the Mōri naval warriors began to panic as their cannons and flame arrows had no effect against them.

"H...How could they afford this kind of vessels?" A Mōri naval commander, Takechiyo Murakami was surprised to see the new vessels the Oda forces' had deployed.

They struggled as they can't do damage to the ironclad vessels, and Oda forces easily breached the Mōri fleet formation this time. Many of the fleet were damaged, and the formation itself unfortunately was mixed up with their own supply lines, making the ships unable to escape and a lot of peasants were stuck together with the Mōri Navy.

"We can't risk the peasants. Provision Unit, go back to Aki and ask for reinforcements!"

The Provision Unit led by Yoshitake Iida went back to Aki.

* * *

-A few moments later-

"Terumoto-sama, Takakage-sama, I brought bad news!" Yoshitake quickly bowed infront of Terumoto and Takakage, which is in the castle's living room.

"What's going on?" Terumoto asked.

"Our fleet was defeated by Oda's fleet. They seemed to have deployed a brand new iron-clad vessels to defeat us. Our cannons and arrows had no effect against them. Right now our navy was stuck together with the peasants in the supply lines. We need reinforcements."

Terumoto and Takakage was utterly shocked hearing this condition. They never knew that Oda was famous enough to the outsiders that he managed to buy a hi-tech ships like those.

"We have no choice. We need to rescue the peasants and our allies. Forget about the victory, we have to make sure the peasants and our allies survived." Takakage said. "Terumoto, you could have the honor of leading us as reinforcements. And Hiroie, could you call my daughter and Nagachika at their room? This is very important and is an emergency, I wanted their appearance here now."

"All right!" Hiroie said as he made his way to Hana's & Nagachika's room.

"Hana- _dono ,_ Nagachika- _sama ,_ Takakage- _sama_ wanted to see you both. He said that this is an emergency."

The two late-twenties responded by exiting their room towards the living room.

"Did father want to see us?" Hana asked.

"Yes, you need to prepare yourselves for another battle. This time it will be a tough rescue mission, so prepare yourself now, quickly." Takakage ordered.

"R...Rescue mission? Okay, I'll go prepare myself." Hana replied and stormed to her room, followed by Nagachika.

* * *

 _In 1576, Yoshitaka's fleet went to destroy the Mōri's supply line to Hongan-ji. But due to Takakage's tactical scheme, Oda's fleet was routed and Yoshitaka was forced to flee._

 _Two years had passed, and Nobunaga's ambition and authority rose much higher, he managed to repel a mass rebellion led by Hisahide Matsunaga, and continued his assault on the Hongan-ji._

 _At the end of 1577, Nobunaga had just bought a new set of iron-clad warships, becoming a great asset for Oda's naval battle. With this vessels in use, Nobunaga ordered Yoshitaka on another assault towards Mōri supply line._

 _Yoshitaka went on against the Mōri, and this time he managed to defeat the Mōri fleet thanks to the ironclad vessels, as now the Mōri navy and the peasants were stuck on the damaged supply line._

 _In response, Terumoto, with the help of Takakage, ordered Munekatsu, Nagachika, Hana, and Hiroie to be sent as reinforcements. Takakage and Terumoto also joined them._

 _Thus, their campaign to rescue their allies and the innocent peasants began._

 _Next Chapter_

 _The Forbidden Girl: Battle 3- 2nd Battle of Kizugawaguchi_

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry if I rushed on thi chapter, and my writing's going worse. I'm making the main plots first until I finished, then I could probably start rewriting the story so that it became interesting.**

 **Thanks for my pals and "teachers" RosyMiranto18 and Scarlet 'n Blossom, who encouraged me to continue this story until I finished.**

 **7 battles to go, what a long story. Sorry if anyone is bored already.**

 **Please R &R!**


	11. Battle 3-2nd Battle of Kizugawa

**A/N: Here comes the 2nd Battle of Kizugawaguchi! For this battle's flow, I'll take much from Takakage's "Wisdom and Grace.", but not fully from there. Different from the SW4-II Version, Takakage won't engage Hanbei in battle since Hanbei was in very ill condition.**

 **RosyMiranto18: Thanks for the point out, I'll going to fix that. Yeah I was probably too tired at that time that I mistyped.**

 **Scarlet 'n Blossom:**

 **Munekatsu: T...Thank You! Actually it was all Takakage- _sama_ 's strategy, I was only executing the plots. **

**Takakage: But you did execute it perfectly. You have earned my respect!**

 **Munekatsu: (*Bowing down*) T...Thank You, Takakage- _sama_**

 **Oh, and thanks for the guide from RosyMiranto18, I would like to put some of his plot ideas and his OCs to honor him. That goes for a new Disclaimer.**

 **Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors and its characters belonged to KOEI, Aki Kimura and Natsuko Kimura belong to RosyMiranto18, Suzu Shiraishi (appeared on latter chapters) belong to Scarlet 'n Blossom, and other OC's (Hana, Nagachika, and Izumi) belong to me.**

 **Here goes the 11th Chapter**

* * *

Chapter 11- 2nd Battle of Kizugawaguchi

-A few hours prior Oda's fleet departure-

"This iron-clad boats looks infallible enough. I am really sure we can defeat the Mōri with these boats." Yoshitaka thought.

"E...Excuse me." Yoshitaka turned to see a young man approaching him. "What are you doing here?"

"P...Pardon me of my negligence. The name's Aki Kimura, I'm one of the designers of these boats. It's an honor to see you." The man introduced himself.

"Oh, so you're the designer of this boat?" Yoshitaka asked. "I have to admit it, but this boat looks strong and infallible, you had done a great job."

"T...Thank You, my lord. By the way, did you want to test it so we could analyze its performance?" Aki asked.

"Nah, it's okay. We have no time for that, because our lord's waiting."

"Alright then. But to ensure this boat's safety and to analyze its weakness, I think I should join this battle myself." Aki offered.

"Well, I can't resist a reinforcement, but I just hope you won't perform badly on this battle."

"I promise I won't."

* * *

-Back to the battle-

Munekatsu and the other Mōri reinforcement forces finally arrived at the battlefield.

"That situation...is not good." Hiroie sighed.

"I know. We might have no chance against the iron-clads. Let me think of a way, but for now, lets just rescue as much peasants and our forces as we can." Takakage said. "Remember not to be far out and control yourself."

Hana flinched. Her father was advising those words towards everyone but she obviously know that actually that words are meant for her.

"Munekatsu, I want you and Hiroie to hide here for some time, I'm working on something. Hana and Nagachika, you can engage the enemy which is surrounding the peasants and our trapped officers. Once again don't be too far out." Takakage ordered.

"Okay." Nagachika bowed.

"I suppose I can count on you to defend our ship here, Terumoto." Takakage said to his nephew.

"Don't worry, uncle. I will do my best!" Terumoto replied.

"I myself will plan on something. I'm going to go with my daughter and my son-in-law to assist them while thinking of a plan." Takakage said. "Okay then, may this battle prove that we can still hold out even on this chaos."

With that, every reinforcements did what Takakage had ordered.

* * *

On the other side of the camp.

"My lord, Enemy reinforcements led by Terumoto Mōri had arrived." A messenger said.

"Hmm, so finally the Mōri main force had shown their puny existence." Yoshitaka smirked. "Okay, Aki Kimura, I hope you can help me with this reinforcements?"

"You can count on me." Aki replied.

As Aki was ready to leave, another messenger was running inside the camp.

"My lord, Allied reinforcements led by Ranmaru- _sama_ is approaching."

"Good, this will end well." Yoshitaka said. "For now, let's put out our plan."

* * *

The Mōri reinforcements had just arrived.

From the first ship. Hana and Nagachika ran towards the broken Central Formation

"It doesn't look good. We need to hurry." Hana said.

"Slow down, Hana. You don't want to suffer the same like in Tatarahama, don't you?" Nagachika asked.

"It's okay, Nagachika. It's impossible to put ambush on this way. We should've just agree with her and go as quick as we can." Takakage said.

"A...All right, Takakage- _sama_."

The three quickened their pace. A few minutes later two figures stopped them.

"Heh! So finally the Mōri reinforcements had just arrived. This might prove an interesting battle." One of the man said.

Takakage just calmly smiled. "And I expect the same from the great Toshiie Maeda of Oda. However, how about if you battled these two instead, because I have no time to waste for our peasants."

Hana and Nagachika took out their weapons, ready for battle.

Toshiie just smirked. "Let's see if Nobutada and I could defeat this two young'ns very quickly, even before you had the chance to look at your back."

"Don't underestimate me!" Hana growled.

"Stop it, Hana. He's ultimately trying to taunt you and might have actually succeed." Nagachika tried to calm his wife.

"Heh, you seemed clever." Toshiie exclaimed. "Alright then, Nobutada, let's just defeat this two already."

"All right, Toshiie- _sama_."

The two engaged in a fight. Hana was battling Toshiie while Nagachika was battling Nobutada.

* * *

-Meanwhile at the central deck-

Takakage had just arrived at the crushed central formation to see his brother was surrounded, along with Magoichi Saika and Takechiyo Murakami.

Motoharu was struggling, but managed to keep his composure intact by defeating some privates who tried to go near them. But since they are surrounded, they couldn't last long, especially with the depleting food and resources on the ship.

"Dang! When will this privates learn to retreat? We can't hold out much longer if it stayed like this."

" _Ani-Ue!_ " A shout emerged from not far from there.

Motoharu turned at the base of the sound and saw multiple privates was knocked onto the air. Focusing on the sight, he could see an orange-clothed blonde attacking the enemy forces.

"Takakage, what took you so long?" the older Mōri siblings shouted.

"Sorry, _ani-ue_. I should've noticed sooner on this..."

"You know what, we can keep the words for later. Right now we have to find our way out." Motoharu said. "Anyway, thanks for helping us."

"You're welcome, _Ani-ue_." Takakage replied.

"The Mōri reinforcements are here! Finally, let's turn this battle around!" The Saika leader encouraged his troops.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

Hana and Nagachika was still engaging Toshiie and Nobutada in a combat. But it was not long before Hana could land a clean hit to Toshiie, and Nagachika managed to force Nobutada to retreat.

"Should we follow?" Hana asked.

"No, we better rendezvous with your father and the main force and check if everything's still okay." Nagachika replied.

The two quickly made their way to the broken central formation. But as they reached the formation, Nagachika spotted an enemy closing in onto them.

"Hana, you go first. An enemy is nearing us so let me engage him." Nagachika asked.

"But, why don't we defeat him together?"

"Our priority is to make sure our forces are okay. If both of us engage this enemy then who will do the prioritized task?"

Hana pouted, but agreed to go on forward, leaving Nagachika near the central formation. Soon enough, the enemy closing in had just arrived and delivered a thrust from his weapon, in which Nagachika instantly repelled it.

"Hmm, still so young and green. Yet already going to battle." Nagachika said to the opponent.

"Hmph! Pardon me, but Aki Kimura will challenge you to a duel." The opponent claimed.

"Actually, it was quite a foolish act rushing here alone and childishly declaring something like that. But okay, try to claim my head if you could." Nagachika said.

Taunted, Aki charged towards Nagachika, while the latter tried to defend himself. He was stuck on the defensive almost all the time while the young Aki always was on the advantage. His impressive agility had put Nagachika in a restless condition, trying to block all attacks from the younger warrior.

Aki was impressed that he could put himself in an offensive advantage. However, what makes him a bit confused is that Nagachika looked like he hadn't even try to make one attack, and keep defending himself.

"Come on, why did you keep defending yourself? Won't you try to attack me?"

Nagachika just keep calm and didn't even dare to land a hit.

"Heh! No fun! You didn't even want to attack." The younger said. "Seems like I have to retreat, my lord's surely waiting."

With that, Aki left Nagachika and went back to the camp.

Nagachika just keep silent on all of this commotion. "Attacking me, and even without me attacking back, he just retreated? Something must've going on. I better check up on my dear and Takakage- _sama_."

He quickly rushed into the broken central formation, and managed to find all of them still in a good condition, but eyes froze on a certain direction with a confused look.

"Is something the matter, Takakage- _sama_?" Nagachika asked as he arrived near his lord and his wife.

"Something's odd, either they went easy on us or they're planning something." Takakage replied, Nagachika instantly looked at the retreating soldiers.

"I could hazard a guess that they were taunting us. Should we give pursuit?" Nagachika asked.

"Well, I know they're up to something. But to make sure, we can divide ourselves into two groups. Some of us will engage the soldiers near the main camp while the others go rescuing the peasants in the east. What do you think?" Takakage asked.

"Let me go rescue the peasants." Nagachika replied.

"I'll be following Naga-san." Hana said, which made her husband blush at the nickname.

"Oh, please, Hana, what kind of nickname is that?" Nagachika pouted, earning a laugh from his lord and his wife.

"Well, as much as I want to continue this humorous moment, I'm afraid we won't have much time. So I guess I'll be engaging the enemies near their camp with _ani-ue_ , while you two go rescue the peasant in the east. Understood?"

"Yes, and please be safe, Father." Hana replied.

And the two finally parted ways and did their objectives.

* * *

-On Nagachika and Hana's side-

The couple spotted a lot of peasants being surrounded, and a garrison which looked empty.

"Hmm...an empty garrison. Should we attack it?" Hana asked.

Nagachika facepalmed. "Still haven't learned from your experience haven't you?"

"What?"

"I mean, an empty garrison on the battlefield filled with a lot of enemies, what do you expect?"

Hana was confused, but after processing the idea she finally came into a conclusion. "Oh, right, ambush." She frowned, seeming hurt on reminiscing the hurtful memories.

"S...Sorry, Hana- _dono_. I don't mean to make you think of the horrible experience again." Nagachika apologized. "I just wanted to make sure I don't lose you again with the same cause."

Hana smiled, feeling so refreshed on Nagachika's care and worries. "Thank you so much."

She faced her husband, cupping his cheek and put a little peck on his lips, for how many times, only God knows.

10 years, and they're still as lovey-dovey as a just-married. (Well, but if they're on a serious disagreement, don't ask me how bad it will be).

They parted, blush remained on their cheeks.

"I'm amazed to say, you can even be this clingy even on a battlefield." Nagachika smiled.

"Nothing's wrong with that, right?" Hana said. "Anyway, what should we do with this garrison?"

Nagachika thought for a moment, before an idea loomed on his mind. "I think I'll try this."

* * *

-A few moments later-

"Are you sure this is a great idea?" Hana asked. "Are they stupid enough for this?"

"It's worth a try. Heck...this is not testing their intelligence, but only to cause doubts in the ambush parties." Nagachika said. "Come with me."

The couple ran onto the garrison gate, and stopped in front of it.

"Hey, you, ambush parties, we already knew your positions, we've got company here ready to take you on. Your ambush fails." Nagachika shouted.

The empty garrison was suddenly filled with the ambush party, only to find out there are only two people on the gate.

"Suck it, we've been tricked. We should've stayed calm and let them enter the garrison." Tsuneoki Ikeda, one of the ambush party officers, growled.

While the ambush parties were discovering themselves and attacked the couple, some of the Mōri forces began to realize on the commotion.

"And I thought that garrison is empty. Looks like our youngsters had did well enough. But against that numbers they won't last long. Come on, help them!"

The remaining main Mōri forces, led by Ekei Ankokuji made their way to assist Hana and Nagachika, earning a gratitude from the couple.

* * *

-Meanwhile near the Oda main camp-

Takakage was continuously slaying the attacking privates, in which he quickly regretted since he always wanted minimum casualties.

Well you can't blame him right now. This is an emergency as the Mōri was getting beaten up pretty badly and needed time to retreat.

However a curiousity reached his mind. Why did the Oda forces stayed nearing their main camp?

" _Ani-ue_ " Takakage asked.

"Yes, Takakage."

"Do you think something is not right? Why did they stayed on their camp like this instead of continuing their attack on us?" Takakage said.

"Don't know, you're the mind so you can figure it yourself, while I'm just a muscle warrior." Motoharu grinned.

"Oh please, _ani-ue_." Takakage mumbled.

Only a few seconds after that, a collision was heard and the grounds started to quake. Takakage looked back to see two ironclad vessels have breached the formation again, this time nearing the camp.

"There we go! Now, take out those Mōri reinforcements!" A pale-skinned strategist of Oda ordered.

"Yes, Master Kanbei. Let's go, everyone!"

The Oda reinforcements now charged towards the Oda main camp and east side, where the Mōri reinforcements are located. Some of them proceeded into the Mōri reinforcement ship.

Not long after that, the sound of cannons could be heard. Takakage looked again to see Mōri's main central ship had sunk.

"So this is their game. We have no choice. _Ani-ue_ , help our retreat by taking care of the reinforcements. I'll rendezvous with Hana and Nagachika to help the peasants."

"All right. Take care, Takakage. Don't let me down."

Hearing the words triggered a memory in Takakage's mind. Those words are very familiar with him, someday, he had heard it.

Of course he did, that was almost, well, 30 years before, and yet it still resonates in his heart, like it won't leave his heart forever.

* * *

-Flashback-

 _"So, it's time, huh?" a young female said to Takakage._

 _"Yeah, I know. I actually might have foreseen this to happen. Sad, I know, if only I could find a way so that none of us would be hurt." Takakage replied._

 _The female said nothing. She tried to avert his gaze but found it to no avail, his gaze was almost like...a magnet for her. Her turquoise eyes was showing a pool of emotion._

 _She constantly was worried about this day. She knew this day would come but , like Takakage, she had nothing she can do to stop it._

 _Why?_

 _Why do they have to part for possibly forever like this?_

 _Why didn't her father realize that actually there is a better way on alliance._

 _The Hōjō can just retain their alliance with the Mōri, she had put faith on them, especially on the youngest son of the Mōri clan head at that time._

 _"Hayakawa-_ dono _" Takakage called her, trying to lock his gaze with hers, in which she always tried to avert, trying to hide her tears._

 _He, too, was nothing different from her._

 _He was really surprised that his father didn't want to prolong the alliance with the Hōjō._

 _He had promised a few days ago, that she would be Hayakawa-_ dono _'s guardian angel, to protect her from physical and emotional harm._

 _Yet only a few days after, he had broken his promise by hurting her feelings._

 _Yes, it was not his decision to leave, but still, he was feeling guilty._

 _How can he earn a trust from anyone if he couldn't even keep a promise for just a few days._

 _Then, all of those meant nothing._

 _All of the affections, all of the presents, all of the protection, all of his feelings._

 _Heck, even that time where they were...too bad, illegitimately yet innocently, become one, resulting on something they haven't known yet._

 _All of them are for nothing_

 _Nothing._

 _Tears dotted in his eyes, guiltily charging himself as a promise breaker. Yet he still tried to earn a gaze from the one he promised to dearly loved._

 _"You can hate me if you want. I'm nothing but a promise-breaker. I promise to be your angel, yet I'm becoming the devil myself. I was trying not to let you suffer harm, yet I harmed you. I..."_

 _Hayakawa silenced him with her finger, and hugged him tight, tears now began to flow._

 _"That was all not your fault. You haven't broken your promise. Fate might have another plan for us." She said before looking at her beloved. "Don't...ever...beat yourself up again, Takakage. You're smart, caring, and handsome. Yet you always pretended the opposite. You need to open up more, be honest with your feelings, and please, don't ever take all of everyone's burden for yourself. You don't deserve a beating for something you didn't do."_

 _"Hayakawa-_ dono... _" Takakage whispered._

 _"I know you should have left now. Your family is waiting." Hayakawa calmly said, trying to fight back the tears trying to flow out of her turquoise eyes._

 _"I...I know we will see each other again, someday. So, can you please remember me?" Takakage asked._

 _Hayakawa said nothing. Instead she pulled his head closer and planted a goodbye kiss, hopefully not a real one, as they hope to see each other again someday._

 _"I will, Takakage. Please take care, don't let me down." Hayakawa said as she parted, following Takakage to the port where they will see at each other for probably the last time._

 _"See you soon, Lady Hayakawa of the Hōjō"_

-End Flashback-

* * *

"Hey, why did you suddenly become red?" Motoharu said. "Ohh, probably the thought of a certain lady was back within your mind?"

"Shut up, _ani-ue_ , we got a mission to do." Takakage replied.

"That came for someone who suddenly daydreamt on a battlefield." Motoharu grinned.

"Can you just shut up and do our mission? The peasants are in danger!" Takakage snapped.

"O...Okay, leave it to me." Motoharu said.

* * *

-Meanwhile at the eastern side-

"Cannons? Dammit" Nagachika muttered as he spotted cannon fires emerging towards the battlefield. "Hana, forget these ambushers, we have to rescue the peasants." Nagachika said.

"B...But..."

"Nagachika- _sama_ 's right." Ekei said. "Leave this ambushers to me, you have to go. The peasants are really in trouble."

"A...All right."

"Hana! Nagachika!" The group turned to see Takakage running towards them. "Are you alright?"

"W...We're fine." Hana replied.

"Good, how about you, Ekei- _sama_?"

"Nothing too bad, actually." The Mōri retainer said. But looking at the sheer amount of ambushers, Takakage had no choice but to assist him.

"Hana, Nagachika. Go rescue the peasants. I'll help Ekei to hold off these ambushers." Takakage said.

"On it, father!"

The couple ran onto the eastern side, to the side of the peasants. At first they were relieved to see the peasants are still okay, although with little amount of enemy soldiers surrounding them. But their relief was suddenly cut out as they saw reinforcements coming from the retreat point.

"Go, destroy those Mōri crap." The young leader of Oda, Ranmaru Mori ordered.

The reinforcements did as Ranmaru said. But what makes the couple enraged was that the soldiers keep slaying not only the Mōri soldiers, but also the peasants.

"Gosh! Another reinforcements? When will this finally end?" Hana replied. "And what the hell do they think they are doing?"

"It seems that we have no choice but to defeat them, and quickly before the peasants are defeated!" Nagachika said.

"I'll deal with the young boy, can you deal with the rest?" Hana offered.

"Sure, stay safe, though."

Hana charged at the enemy reinforcements, directly towards Ranmaru while slashing the ones on her way, until she arrived near him.

"Boy, you looked like a girl on those outfits." Hana said in awe.

"Shut up!"

"You are the one who should shut up! Why do you attack those peasants? What have they done to you?" Hana asked furiously.

"They're on our Lord's way. That's why as our Lord's retainer, we have to slay our obstacles."

"Really? Even almost everyone haven't even held a sword to counter you all! They're just trying to live their life peacefully."

"No time for this useless bickering. Since you are in my way then I'm afraid I should slay you as well." Ranmaru said, holding his sword.

"Try it if you can."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

After the ambushers were defeated, Takakage decided to follow his daughter, but soon a figure stopped him in his way.

"Y...You are..."

"Kanbei Kuroda, Nobunaga's strategist." Kanbei replied. "And you're that famous Takakage Kobayakawa, the mind of Mōri."

"What exactly do you want?"

"Listen, kind words are not enough to bring this land into peace." Kanbei said.

"But I believe unification is impossible without them!" Takakage snapped.

"Stubborn, aren't you? Now you're trying to save your own allies and those peasants, while risking yourself. You're brave, yet naive and foolish."

"While doing nothing would also achieve nothing. I will save the people and my allies, even though my life is the price." Takakage said.

"It's no use battling here. I'll be waiting at you on the main camp."

"Hey...wait." Takakage tried to stop the pale strategist, but to no avail.

"What is he planning?"

* * *

-Back to the couple-

Ranmaru was finally taken down. Apparently Hana was able to land a hit with her spear.

"Y...You, I won't forget this." Ranmaru said.

"Ranmaru, I presume? I liked your lord's idea to bring peace. But that doesn't mean you have to slay all of those on your way, even the ones without any threat." Hana replied, her voice was not filled with anger anymore.

"B...But?"

"Imagine if you are on their side. What will you feel?"

Ranmaru just keep silent. "I know what you're been thinking and trying to do to me. But my devotion to Lord Nobunaga is eternal, and I will always follow him no matter what." Ranmaru said before retreating.

Hana just looked at the retreating boy, sad that he had become merciless, as she had feared.

"Hana, are you alright?"

Hana turned back to see Nagachika and the peasants approaching her.

"Yeah, don't worry. Now you all can retreat from here. Hana said as she continued to guard the retreat point.

The peasants did as Hana said and left the battlefield.

"Okay, now with they're retreating, it's time for us to go back to the camp and retreat with the others." Nagachika said.

"Er, as much as I want to defeat the commander, but it seems we have no choice." Hana replied. "Let's go!"

Meanwhile, Takakage had just arrived at the southeastern side, to the peasant's retreat point, but looking that everyone had just retreated, he made his way back to the camp.

* * *

-In Hideyoshi's Ship-

"The people keep retreating one after another. Maybe the Mōri will also flee, and the battle will just end already?"

"I won't allow that!" Mitsuhide suddenly exclaimed. "Everyone, chase those retreating enemies!"

The Oda forces began a pursuit against the Mōri forces, unaware of another scheme Takakage had pulled off.

"Now, ambush parties, go infiltrate Mitsuhide's ironclad ship!"

From the Mōri camp, Munekatsu, Hiroie and their allies sprung out from their hiding and charged Mitsuhide's ironclad ship, startling the long-haired warrior.

"W...What? So they've been waiting for this?" Mitsuhide said. "I can't believe they tricked us again."

The Mōri ambush party attacked Mitsuhide, and forced him to retreat, gaining control of the iron ship.

"Now, cover our retreat by using the ship!" Terumoto said from the main camp.

The ones infiltrating the ship began taking control of the ship, which was almost sunk due to its weightshift. Of course, this is because of the overweighting on one side.

From the Oda camp, Aki looked at the almost-sunken ship, and learned about its weakness.

As the battle continues, almost everyone, including Hana, Nagachika, Takakage, Motoharu, and any other warriors from Mōri had boarded the reinforcement ships and the remaining sailable ships, and went back to Aki. Motoharu and Hiroie followed behind them using the iron clad they seized.

* * *

 **A/N: There goes the second battle of Kizugawa, and shoot out to RosyMiranto18 for the appearance of his OC: Kimura Aki on this chapter! Although I'm sorry if he is OOC**.

 **The next chapter will be just a filler. Don't expect a very long chapter for the next one.**

 **Oh well, and since I have no idea on Invasion of Iyo, I skipped that one. And so the next battle is probably one of the most important for the Mōri and Oda. I know you know what it is!**

 **Please R &R! **


	12. Silent Pyro

**A/N: Back again with another chapter of "The Forbidden Girl" with this humble rubbish author. This chapter will be filled with just fillers before they started another battle.**

 **Here also I wanted to introduce one more OC I have which I apparently made up (actually this OC has already been made since last year, but I decided to put her in this story just a few days before.) She'll be a side-character OC, which means she won't take part too much in this story like Hana or Nagachika.**

 **OK, let's see some review:**

 **RosyMiranto18: Oops, sorry! Really Sorry! I forgot that Aki was not an Oda's loyalist, but much more of the Shikoku warrior, so he must've been closer to Mitsuhide then. I've changed some of his words on the previous chapter, please kindly give us another review, Thanks!**

 **Scarlet 'n Blossom:**

 **Takakage: Thank you for your concern, my lady. I know I can meet her again someday,**

 **HSK17: Don't worry, you wi...**

 **Takakage: (*smack the author with a book*) Watch your mouth, no spoilers allowed.**

 **Hana: (*sweatdrop*) Oh by the way, I don't know what should I do to prove Ranmaru's gender is a boy anyway, care to give me some ideas?**

 **Chie: ... (*pats Hana*)**

 **Hana: Oh, there you are, Chie. You're going to make your first appearance here!**

 **Chie: (*using gestures on Hana's hand)** _ **Is this a spoiler? But thank you anyway.**_

 **Without further ado, Here's chapter 12!**

 **Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belong to KOEI, Aki Kimura and Natsuko Kimura belong to RosyMiranto18, Suzu Shiraishi belong to Scarlet 'n Blossom, other OC's belong to me.**

Chapter 12: Silent Pyro

After the Battle of Kizugawa concluded, the Mōri forces managed to go back home safely to Aki, but it costs very dearly for them, and much more for _Ikko-Ikki._

With this defeat, the Mōri supply convoy was obviously obliterated, and this had brought a diminishing blow to the _Ikko-Ikki_ on this Ishiyama Hongan-ji confrontation.

As they arrived, they were greeted by most of the people and their close ones. Takakage was embraced by none other than Lady Toida, which had been awfully anxious when her husband and her daughter left for a losing battle's reinforcement.

Tadayasu and Natsuka Nomi, children of Hana and Nagachika also greeted their parents, giving them quite a family big hug.

Actually, there's one other person also who did wait for them. She waited from the port, but without saying anything, just waving hand and putting a smile, hoping to trigger an attention.

No shouts, no screams, no exclamation, just a simple wave of hand.

It's not that she refused to do such. In fact if she had the chance to, she would do that very clearly and loudly.

Alas, no, she can't.

But, not too unfortunate since Motoharu noticed the gesture and knew about her appearance on the port, and wrapped her in a hug.

"Chie, I don't know you also waited for me here." Motoharu grinned.

The girl, known as Chie, said nothing. Instead she just held Motoharu's hand, and gestured something on it.

" _Isn't that okay for a daughter to greet his father after he went back home from battle?"_

Motoharu just smiled. "Yeah, it's okay. It's just, you usually was inside your room almost every time, unusual for you to go outside the castle."

By the way, this is Chie Kikkawa, 16 years old. She was the adopted daughter of Motoharu Kikkawa, that made her Takakage's niece and Hana's cousin. She was actually cheerful...to certain people. Other than them, she was very silent and introvert, and almost closed her communication with other people.

Not her intention, however.

She's mute, so she can only speak with gestures of her hand on other's hand or by her body language. Alas, only a few figures knew sign languages and that made only few of them be able to communicate with her.

Well, apparently one more from Aki household could communicate with her, anyway, as she gestured back to Motoharu's hand.

" _Lady Toida did tell me. She apparently and recently tried to talk with me using her own sign languages. Luckily I recognized what she say and vice-versa. She told me that father had just arrived back home and asked me to come with her."_

Motoharu chuckled under his breath. "Well then. We should go home."

And so the Mōri Forces began to go back to the castle.

The defeat at Kizugawaguchi had brought the war at Ishiyama Hongan-ji to its end. In 1580, the _Ikko-Ikki_ and the people there had surrendered at the behest of Nobunaga. Thus ending the 10-year war of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji.

"Well, too bad that we suffered a defeat at Kizugawa, which results in the Ishiyama Hongan-ji's fall." Terumoto said.

"Indeed, with the Ikko-Ikki gone, the Oda has a lot of opportunities to invade Mōri, now with the path was secured. We need to train harder and devise a plan to counter them." Motoharu said.

"I agree with you, _ani-ue_." Takakage said. "But as cunning as he is, being one of the big land's unifier must have its own consequences."

"What consequences?" Terumoto asked. "It's not like sickness or anything like it right?"

"No." Takakage said. "Think about this, Nobunaga had a lot of sons, and his retainers were almost uncountable, blending in under the power of Nobunaga or some might say, "Oda's Army."" Takakage stopped, making sure everyone knows where this is headed. "So, their force is almost like a bundle of hay put on a round table."

Everyone nodded, still confused but decided to let the mind of Mōri continue.

"So, imagining the table right now. What happened if the leg of the table collapsed?"

Hana, which listened for a bit, answered. "Won't it make the whole table collapsed and the hay became scattered."

"You're right, Hana." Takakage said. "Now, if we assume Nobunaga is the table leg, while his retainers and people are all the hay, then what will happen if Nobunaga dies?"

Everyone knew where this is headed, but Nagachika answered for them."

"The world will fall into chaos again." Nagachika said.

"Indeed. Now, can you guess what might cause a lord to die?" Takakage asked.

"Sickness?"

"Virus?"

"I know what Takakage- _sama_ meant." Munekatsu answered. "With the big amount of retainers and people surrendering, then there's big chance that the Unification will prove successful. But at the same time, there's also big chance that treachery/treason may occur."

"You're right, Munekatsu. I sensed that some day, there might be a treachery occuring. So until then, we have to defend ourselves, and when on one time the treachery occurs, we will discuss about our plans. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, now everyone could get some rest. Dismissed!" Terumoto dismissed the meeting.

Instead of going to her room, Hana decided to go into a certain cousin's room, for the first time after years.

The mute beauty gleefully greeted the visitor, which she didn't expect since she hardly ever got any visitors for quite a long time.

" _Well, I didn't expect milady to see me here._ " Chie gestured to Hana's hand.

"Oh please, drop the formalities, Chie _-dono_. We're both from Mōri and technically my father is your father's younger brother, so I should've greeted you with respect." Hana chuckled.

Chie giggled. " _I guess I can use that reason also to make you drop the formalities._ "

"Um, yeah, sure."

" _Anyway,"_ Chie gestured, _"What brings you here? Is there something you want to talk about?"_

"Well, actually I have no one to talk other than you. Being the only young female in the Mōri other than you made me hard to find a partner to talk."

" _So I'm just the last choice?"_ Chie pouted. "N...No...no...I don't mean like that. In fact, we hardly ever talk to each other, don't you think?" Hana replied.

" _That's because I can't talk. I knew it."_ Chie gestured.

Hana just rolled her eyes. "I don't mean to make you down, Chie. Please, can you just think positively?"

" _And you should've known that IJK."_

"IJK?"

" _I'm Just Kidding!"_ Chie laughed.

"Oh well." Hana laughed.

" _Anyway, how were you and Lord Nagachika right now? Still being lovey-dovey as usual?"_

Hana blushed. "Oh, when did you learn to be such a tease?"

" _I suppose I was just...well...like to see you two get along very well."_ Chie gestured.

"My, thank you, Chie." Hana said. "You should try to find one someday."

" _I suppose no one would want to be on my side. I mean, who wanted to fall for a mute girl like me..."_

"And who says that it was impossible?" Hana said. "Chie, you're one beautiful lady. I must admit that your beauty had surpassed me. You also have a kind heart, although not many realizes this. You're still pure and lovely, you're not torn like this corrupted lady, who had become a ruthless devil on the battlefield."

" _And you know very well that none of those are true." Chie frowned. "You're not corrupted. You just do what you think it was necessary in this chaotic time, unlike me who just sit here, watching this land suffered on a continuous turmoil, letting more and more people die without me doing anything, save for my own life. I felt like I was commiting a sin just by sitting here." Tears began to form on her amber eyes._

"That's definitely not true, Chie." Hana said, trying to comfort her by pulling her into a hug. "You don't have to bear the mistakes that isn't yours."

The two just stayed on that way. Until Hana decided to leave.

" _Where are you going?"_ Chie gestured as she patted Hana's shoulder.

"Just a little training outside." Hana said, and continued to walk outside before she was stopped by the mute lady."

" _Then, bring me with you."_

Hana was ultimately shocked. "B...But..."

" _Please, I want to be stronger and be useful to my family. I don't want to be a damsel in distress anymore."_

Hana sighed, and was ultimately worried. There's no chance this could end well...

The next day

Motoharu and Takakage was going onto the training field when they saw two familiar figures, with one of them being the unexpected. They saw Hana with a wooden spear and Chie with a...wooden curved sword?

"C...Chie, since when..."

Hana, recognizing the source of the voice, began to panic. "L...Let me explain."

"No need to, Hana." Takakage answered. "Motoharu _ani-ue_ , since like you're going to be in the same boat with me."

Motoharu frowned. He is now in the same position as his little brother used to be, although a bit different.

He had let his son Hiroie to participate on battle, for the sake of the family. But Chie?

Being his only daughter, Motoharu was also very protective to her, much like Takakage to Hana. She was like a spherical ball. A solid one, yet fragile.

What's more, Chie is mute, so he expected her just to be a good girl and just stayed home. But seems it turned to be wrong.

"C...Chie...why?"

The said mute just took her father's hand, gesturing in front of him.

" _I had enough, father. I don't want to stay a damsel in distress while this land was on turmoil. I have to stand up and fight. I need to protect my beloved family."_

"But, I...how can you fight...if...if..."

" _If I'm mute? Father, I won't consider being a mute as a threat. I might be different from other people, I may not talk, but I can let my actions speak for me."_

Motoharu was speechless. Takakage, being able to read sign languages, then just talked to her.

"Your father is very worried, not because you might be injured in battle, but more like he is afraid that you turned into a ruthless lady."

"I get it." Hana said. "Chie, some battles can be avoided if we use negotiations and talks, just like my father usually did. But with you unable to do so, your father is afraid if you use your sword to do the talking instead. It may cost someone's life for nothing!"

Chie just went silent and unmoving. The three warriors expected her to give up her dreams on going to battle.

With that, Chie went back to the castle, on a brink of crying.

"This is entirely my fault." Hana frowned.

 **A/N: A very short chapter, yes I know. This is just only for the filler. The next chapter will be as short, but will be filled with some preparation before the flow-changing to a new era.**


	13. Final Moves of Nobunaga

**A/N: Back again with another chapter! Like I said before, this chapter will also be a filler chapter. However, instead of introducing an OC like the previous chapter, this chapter will be filled with much more history.**

 **I'm so sorry, but I can't reply the reviews for the last chapter since it's only a non-affecting filler, I'll join the review reply with the review of this chapter.**

 **Should I state the Disclaimer again? See the Disclaimer on the previous chapter.**

 **Without further ado, here's chapter 13!**

Chapter 13: Year 1582, the Final Moves of Nobunaga

* * *

The year was 1582.

Most of the chaos in Japan had been subdued thanks to the effort of the Demon King, the Daimyō of Owari, Nobunaga Oda.

In aspects of power, he was unmatched even with his rivals, the Takeda and the Uesugi. His conquest is reaching its end as almost whole Japan had been under his control.

However, there are still ones who stood on his way of Unification (or conquest). The first came from the west, which is none other than Mōri clan itself. Even so, it shouldn't have been too hard for Nobunaga to conquer it since the Mōri was also threatened from their back, specifically, the forces of Chōsokabe, which had allied themselves with Nobunaga.

The second came from the eastern side, which is his long time rival, the Takeda. The Takeda themselves had been going down lately after the loss of their famed leader, Shingen Takeda, back in 1573. As such, his heir, Katsuyori Takeda, was in no means of a strong leader, which made Nobunaga easily coveted a victory on his battles against them, especially the ones in Nagashino. Now their position is terribly weak, and so Nobunaga was optimistic that they could decimate Takeda in no time flat.

Now, let's see what is happening on the daimyō's manor.

Nobunaga was in a meeting in his manor, along with him are his best retainers: His right hand and later the second Conqueror: Hideyoshi Hashiba, which Nobunaga often call as "Monkey", and also his ally from the east, later the third Conqueror: Ieyasu Tokugawa.

"Our quest of unification is reaching is end. We will soon see the unified _Nihon_ under my banner. I'm always proud of you, my loyal retainers."

Hideyoshi and Ieyasu bowed in front of him.

"Now, we only have two enemies left who dared to be our obstacle. And considering their power compared to ours, they will soon bow under me too. What we must do, is to quicken their submission to us." Nobunaga said.

"Which is why I called both of you here. I need both of you to invade this two worthless enemies."

"For Lord Nobunaga's ambition, I will do my best!" Hideyoshi exclaimed, while Ieyasu said nothing.

"Just as I expected from you, Monkey." Nobunaga ruffled his retainer's hair. "Now, I want you to deal with the western threat of Mōri. Bring your protégés as well as our returning Shikoku genius with you. I expected a victory. Understood?"

"Sir!" Hideyoshi bowed.

"Ieyasu. You and I will be in charge of eliminating the eastern threat, the puny Takeda forces. Decimate them for our good, and let this be your final revenge against what they did in Mikatagahara. Show them the strength of Oda." Nobunaga said.

Ieyasu bowed in front of Nobunaga. "Well then, let me prepare our troops to march on the Takeda."

"Okay, both of you, dismissed." Nobunaga dismissed his two retainers.

* * *

Meanwhile in Aki

Chie went back to her room, feeling heartbroken. She should have known that her father still couldn't trust her to help him. Again, her father always saw her as the one to be protected, not as the one to protect.

Now, even the people she trusted the most also betrayed her. Hana had allowed her to go on training, but then she also agreed with her father. The same might go for Takakage.

She had no one to be trusted anymore. Everyone still saw him as one important but weak woman, who is always in need for protection.

She mentally cursed herself about why she was born a mute. Why she was different from the others, and why it's so hard for the others to believe in her.

She dreamt of when, one day, she could also help her family, in which case for today is to ensure peace for the people.

But...how can she achieve it, if she couldn't even took a step on a battlefield.

"Chie...are you there?" Hana asked from behind the door.

No answer...Hana knocked again, and put her ears on the door, only to hear a quiet sob from the certain mute.

"She...she's crying? Damn me..."

Hana knocked on the door again, although knowing that Chie won't open the door for her. In her surprise, the door opened for her.

There she saw the certain mute beauty, eyes swollen from the quiet sobs and tears. Hana quickly wrapped the mute in a hug.

"Sorry...I..."

She was pushed back. Hana saw a sharp glare from the swelling eyes Chie gave her.

" _Liar! You betray me! You know I just can't go helping on battle. I thought you will be defending me from my father...but you...You are just the same as father."_ Chie gestured.

"Chie, who said that I agree with your father?"

" _But then, why did you make me like I'm cornered back there? Why did you point out all of my father's damn fright. He said that because he still thought I'm a weak girl. But, Hana, I'm grown up. I'm 16, I can make my own decisions!"_

"I definitely agree with that, Chie." Hana said, trying to hug the mute again, this time without resistance from the said mute. "What I am doing back there is just making it clearer on your father's anxiety. But in no means I just agree with him."

Both girls kept silent, before Hana continued

"You know, I myself was almost like you. My parents also didn't want me to go on battle. I, at that time was like you, I always forced them to accept that I'm a grown-up and wanted to help out our family. But as time goes by, I still forced him and now I understand why they prevented us to do such things."

" _So in other words, you regret going to battle?"_

"To tell you the truth. I wished all this battles go find its end already." Hana said. "Although I didn't regret going onto battle, but I regret to live in chaos."

Chie tensed for a bit, then gestured on Hana's hand.

" _I understand. I know battles are not for fun. And I also wish that these battles just end already. But still, Hana, I still wanted to help out. Allow me to quicken this chaos' end. I wanted to be useful and I wanted to live in peace as soon as possible!"_

"I know, Hana. I'll discuss this more with father and uncle Motoharu. I can't guarantee you to go to every battle, but in the meantime, you can still train with me, and I'll do my best so you can participate in this unlikely dead-or-alive occasion. But please don't be too enthusiastic. I don't want you to suffer the same like me."

" _What do you mean?"_

Hana then told her all what happen in Tatarahama, how she almost met death in her first battle, how she regretted herself not being able to suppress her emotions.

" _I'll try not to fall in those case, Hana."_

Hana then showed her little finger, "Promise?"

" _Promise"_

* * *

Early 1582

The Tokugawa Army was readying themselves for battle. The Four Great Generals of Tokugawa was already on the front position, although not mounting their horses yet.

On their front was none other than the soon-to-be-a-conqueror Ieyasu Tokugawa. The stocky general was standing in awe, with the generals on their brief position.

"This is finally our move against final chaos! Lord Hideyoshi was now attacking the Mōri on the west, and with those great numbers I believe he could score a decent victory. But..."

The generals and the soldiers kept listening

"Let's show the Toyotomi that we can also be as cunning as them. Let's show this Takeda fools that we are not the same as we are before. We are much...much stronger than we are at Mikatagahara. We will never bow to them again. And with the Demon King on our side, we will crush the Takeda onto pieces! Show them our power!"

"Aaaaaargh!" The soldiers were rallied by their lord's speech.

From afar, Ujizane and Hayakawa looked at the forces formation. Both hearts were filled with glee, as this would've been their final battle since Takeda was their only last threat (The Uesugis had allied with Hideyoshi so they won't be much of a problem), and peace will ultimately be achieved.

However, other than glee, for the certain long-haired beauty, there's also worry on her side.

How could it be not? Other than the Takeda, the western Mōri, where half of her 'family' is, is also the threat to the Oda, and also Tokugawa since Tokugawa was allying with Oda. Apparently to make sure the peace was achieved, they must obliterate the Mōri at all cost, and this was really her concern.

She didn't want to lose her part of her family back in Mōri. They were still left in her little piece of heart. She had it enough for her 'family' in Hōjō, and she didn't want the fate to repeat on the Mōri.

She had lost her father, and then Saburō (which still left an incurable scar on her heart) due to his stepbrother Kagekatsu Uesugi (she hated Kagekatsu from that time on), and now, if the Mōri was obliterated, she will also lose her illegitimate husband, and her, although illegitimate, daughter which was her really first child she had ever born. Although she could still live with Ujizane and their sons Norimochi and Takahisa, the family knew really well that Hayakawa's heart will be severely damaged.

"Peace will arrive to us really soon, don't you think, honey?" Ujizane said to his wife.

"Yeah, I know, I really wanted to see the peace that we had ultimately seek since the start of our lives." Hayakawa replied.

"Speaking of which..." Ujizane paused, not going to continue his speech.

"Yes, Ujizane- _sama_?"

"No...Nothing..." Ujizane replied. He would be asking about the peace condition, in which the Mōri will be damaged for the peace to happen. But being a kind husband as he is, he decided not to hurt her feelings by asking the obvious.

"Is there really no other way?"

By the time they finished chattering, the big main force let by Nobunaga Oda himself had arrived, and positioned themselves on the side of the Tokugawa forces.

"Glad for you to join us, Lord Nobunaga." Ieyasu greeted.

"I saw you had your formation ready, Ieyasu." Nobunaga said. "Well now, everyone, let's finish off Takeda once and for all!"

"Aaaaaarghhh!"

"Begin the march!"

All formations now proceeded forward, their destination was Takeda's territory.

* * *

Meanwhile on the western side, Hideyoshi had just readied his formation, ready to march towards the Mōri territories.

While readying the formation, two warriors, one is a young warrior and the other was a middle-aged pale warrior was talking for a moment.

"Kanbei- _sama_."

"Hm...what is it, Aki- _sama_ "

"I suppose you would be eager to join this campaign against Mōri, wouldn't you?" Aki asked

"I guess so, I still have someone I really want to face right now." Kanbei replied.

"Oh...you mean that cunning strategist Takakage Kobayakawa from the Mōri, am I right?"

"Yes, definitely." Kanbei replied coldly.

"Well, you know, he did manage to save the people back at Kizugawa, even against that much odds. He should've been a very intelligent person to devise that optimal strategy like that." Aki said.

"..."

"I wish he would join our ranks."

"He will, although with or without force, he will join our ranks nonetheless." Kanbei replied.

"Anyway, Kanbei- _sama_ , I still haven't seen Hanbei- _sama_ everywhere, where is he? And wouldn't he join this battle against Mōri?" Aki asked, realizing the certain childish-looking strategist wasn't there with them

"Hmm...about that, we should probably visit him now." Kanbei replied.

The two warriors are going to visit Hanbei, before a certain girl stopped them.

"H...Hey, _ani-ue_ , where are you going?" the girl asked.

"Oh, Natsuko, I just want to visit Hanbei - _sama_ , that's all."

"Oh..." the girl, known as Natsuko sighed. "I guess, can I go with you also? I also wanted to see Hanbei- _sama_. Please wait for a minute."

"Don't take long, Natsuko, we might have not much time before we left for battle."

A few minutes later, Natsuko came back with a bouquet of flowers, and rejoined the two warriors.

"Err, Natsuko?"

"Yes, _ani-ue_?"

"Isn't that, the flowers for the dead?"

"Yeah, why?"

"But..."

"We need to go now, Aki, Natsuko. We're running out of time." Kanbei said coldly. "We'll explain on the way.

And the three went off to visit Hanbei...or at least...his grave.

* * *

A few minutes later they had arrived at the desired place.

"I don't believe it...H-Hanbei- _sama_ has already died?" Aki asked.

"We're sorry, Aki. We didn't want to keep it from you, but we were too busy with this campaign against Mōri thing and we forgot to tell you since you're back." Natsuko said.

"He was already in a very ill condition back when we're at Kizugawa." Kanbei added. "A few months after you said you wanted to leave for Iyō, he can't make it much longer and succumbed to his illness."

"I see." Aki muttered, turned his gaze to the grave in front of him. He was followed by both his sister and Kanbei, all three paid respect to the deceased strategists. Natsuko left the flowers on his grave, and the three went back to the camp.

"Ah, I see you all have made it back." The "monkey" said. "We were all waiting for you. Where had you guys been?"

"Forgive us, Hideyoshi- _sama_. We're just paying some respect to Hanbei- _sama_ before this battle." Aki explained.

"Oh, right, Hanbei Takenaka." Hideyoshi looked down. "He was one excellent strategist. His passing had dealt a great blow to us."

"I agreed with that statement." Kanbei chimed in. "With Hanbei gone, we're going to have a problem facing the strategies from the Mōri, especially from that Takakage fellow."

"Don't underestimate yourself, Kanbei- _sama_." Aki told the pale strategist. "We will make it outright against their strategies. We're going to help you. As they said, three heads are better than one."

"Thank you, Aki."

"Okay now, we should go back to our formation." Aki said, before turning to his sister. "Natsuko, please take care, okay?"

"I will, _ani-ue_! Take care of yourself too!"

Aki then mounted his horse, and after a signal, the forces led by Hideyoshi marched their way towards the Mōri territory.

* * *

Several months later, in Aki.

A messenger was running down to Terumoto's room, his face scrunched in worry and fright.

"Terumoto- _sama_!"

The said Mōri clan head turned towards the messenger. "What is it."

"Urgent news! Takamatsu Castle was invaded by Hideyoshi, and has fallen in a flood attack. Muneharu requested our aid!"

Terumoto stood up from his chair, surprised on all the commotion. "Call uncle Takakage, uncle Motoharu and our available officers. We're going to send reinforcements!"

The messenger did what he was told, and just in a few minutes Takakage, Motoharu, and some of the officers stood in front of Terumoto.

"Has Nobunaga made his move?" Takakage asked.

"Well, our ally from the Shimizu had their castle flooded by Hideyoshi, so I guess, yes he had made a move." Terumoto said.

"Very quick and unexpected. I expect nothing less from the Demon King." Takakage said. "And I guess, we are going to intercept them?"

"More like we're going to reinforce Muneharu and his forces." Terumoto said. "Although it's quite inpossible to salvage, we could still buy some time at least to prolong their campaign time."

"I sense something better than that." Takakage said. "We're going to buy time, before the flow changes in our favor."

"But, how?" Motoharu asked.

"Remember when I said, about the hay on the table, before? We are their last threat. If we hold out quite long enough, the opportunity will show itself."

"I suppose we have no choice." Terumoto said. "Ready our forces! We march to Takamatsu right now! Dismissed!"

The officers went to call their own forces. Takakage also called Hana and Nagachika to join him. Motoharu asked Hiroie, but still afraid to call Chie onto the battlefield. However Chie seemed calm, much to Motoharu's confusion.

As they finished putting up their formation, they marched to Takamatsu Castle.

* * *

 _The Mōri forces successfully retreated from Kizugawa, although resulting in the Oda forces' victory, ending the Ishiyama Hongan-ji war for Oda's victory the following year._

 _With almost every provinces unified under Nobunaga, Nobunaga planned to achieve total unification. He sent Hideyoshi to deal with the Mōri in the west, and joined with the Tokugawa to defeat the Takeda in the east._

 _In 1582, the Oda-Tokugawa forces managed to decimate the Takeda, whilst Hideyoshi had arrived at Takamatsu castle. With the help from the Shikoku genius-Aki Kimura, he delivered a fatal Flood Attack to Takamatsu Castle's structure._

 _Being pushed back to a grave danger, the Takamatsu Castle occupants, Muneharu Shimizu asked for reinforcements, in which Terumoto responded by sending reinforcements led by Terumoto himself._

 _Being a part of Mōri, Shinhana and Nagachika also participated on this battle._

 _Little did they know, they will soon meet old and new faces which will affect greatly for the rest of their lives_

 _The Forbidden Girl: Battle 4-Siege of Takamatsu Castle_

* * *

 **That ends this filler chapter. Again another shoot-out for RosyMiranto18 for his second OC to appear!**

 **Next chapter will be a major battle of Takamatsu Castle. Since this affects greatly for the Mōri Forces, I will divide this battle in two or three chapters. (Thank you RosyMiranto18 for the idea).**

 **Since this is a major battle and I have a lot of things to do regarding my oncoming Project next June, I will have to update on a longer gap, especially when I have two stories in-progress and I can't leave either one in Hiatus.**

 **Please R &R!**


	14. Battle 4-Siege of Takamatsu (Part 1)

**A/N: And here we go with one of the major-influencing battle. With the advice from RosyMiranto18, since this battle affects greatly for both the Mōri and Oda, then I'll divide this battle into two or three chapters (more possibly two).**

 **Let's answer on some multi-reviews (since I promised I'll answer the reviews of the previous 2 chapters):**

 **RosyMiranto18:**

 **Chie: (Gesturing)** _ **T...Thanks! Rosy-san, Natsuko-san (did I use the nicks correct?). I know it's harsh, but I'll try to trust Hana-dono. I know she will come with a plan, like her father usually did. (Hearing Natsuko's comment on proving Ranmaru's gender) *Blush*, I...I don't think that kind of act is tolerable here...**_

 **Oh, about the BGM, sorry I don't know, is it Hanbei in Basara? I really have no idea about that.**

 **About nicknames...I will repair that as soon as possible. Thank you for pointing out about it.**

 **The negotiation will take part probably next chapter or the chapter after next chapter. Big chance that Natsuko will not appear because she would stay at Nobunaga's main territory (before joining Hideyoshi after the Battle of Yamazaki).**

 **Thanks for the review!**

* * *

 **Scarlet 'n Blossom:**

 **Chie: (Gesturing)** _ **, Don't worry, Blossom-sama. Suzu-dono is right, but again, I trusted Hana-dono will do something.**_

 **Oh...look at Suzu-dono, such eagerness! Don't worry, I'll include Suzu as soon as Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (because I skipped Shizugatake).**

 **A little spoiler is okay, because it's very obvious isn't it?**

 **Thanks for the review!**

* * *

 **Remory:**

 **My, thank you. But actually, if you only read the prologue, I'm afraid you might not enjoy this story pretty much. Because well, my story's enjoyment meter decreases every time due to my business in life and too much thoughts. You should read more and tell me if you enjoyed it or not. Otherwise, Thank you, once again, for the review!**

* * *

 **Oh, actually, for ones who could read Indonesian, I guess you should read "Bell of the White Hare" by Scarlet 'n Blossom also! That story might cross with this since Hana also made appearance there, and the plot is nonetheless refers to the same game and era (I'm not saying the plots are the same. Heck, the plot is very different since the character-centric is different.) the difference probably is the Point of View (Hana's and Suzu's) and of course the quality (mine is less in quality then Scarlet 'n Blossom's)**

 **Okay, let's go to the battle already!**

Chapter 14: Siege of Takamatsu (Part 1)

* * *

Days prior to the Takamatsu Siege

The Oda forces, led by Hideyoshi finally arrived at Takamatsu Castle, Bitchū Province, and still in good shape despite the drawbacks led by the Mōri forces at Miki Castle and the uprising from Murashige Araki, their own colleague.

As they arrived, Hideyoshi quickly ordered many of the troops to construct an encampment not too far from Takamatsu castle, up near a hill, while Hideyoshi himself looked at the castle, from the top of the hill, bringing some of his protégés with him, including Kiyomasa Katō, Mitsunari Ishida, and Masanori Fukushima. Apparently he also asked the returning Shikoku no Tensai, Aki Kimura, to join him as well.

The five of them looked upon Takamatsu Castle, looking at its structure, the fields surrounding them, and many other aspects, including what strategy would be fit to force its inhabitants to surrender.

"At this point, it's impossible if we try starvation tactics since they have their own supplies directly from the Mōri." Mitsunari thought. "How about if we stormed the castle with all-out attack?"

"If that's the case, then it's time for action!" Masanori yelled, earning a smack and muffling from the other protégé.

"Shut up, your sound will alert the Mōri forces, you know." Kiyomasa said, still trying to muffle Masanori's mouth. "But if the task is to form an all-out attack, then leave the task to us."

"No."

The youngsters turned to see Hideyoshi declining the strategy. "I disagree with all-out attack."

"But, we certainly have the numerical advantage, and we have strong warriors like Kiyomasa and me. Do you underestimate us...Umph." Masanori was muffled again, this time by a certain redhead.

"Shut up, Idiot. If Hideyoshi- _sama_ says no, then it's a No for you." Mitsunari said. "I know Hideyoshi- _sama_ has his own reasons on why he disagreed with such strategy."

"I have my own reasons, much of them regards you all." Hideyoshi said. "The Mōri forces are skilled in both land and naval combat, and we still haven't witnessed it in person, so I always assume that we're evenly matched or even at disadvantage against them. I can't afford to lose my protégés here since you are the one responsible for this forces after I deceased."

"I'm honored to be your protégé, Hideyoshi- _sama_." Mitsunari said. "Well, that only mean that we need to find another way on how to deal with this castle and the Mōri forces."

"Indeed." Kiyomasa said, before turning to Aki. "Hey, Kimura, you kept very quiet since we stood here, is something the matter?"

"Uh..."

"If you're worried about Natsuko, well, you shouldn't worry much because she will be well-protected by us." Kiyomasa said, patting the genius' shoulder.

"Well, I am really grateful on your concern, Kiyomasa- _sama_. I know I can trust you all. But that's not the reason I kept quiet, anyway." Aki replied.

"Aki, although you haven't been with us as long as Masanori, Kiyomasa, and Mitsunari. I always thought you as my protégé also. Don't look so down, you need to cheer up!" Hideyoshi said, trying to comfort him.

"Yeah! Hideyoshi- _sama_ had trusted you also, so don't act so cold like this bighead right here." Masanori shouted, earning a smack from the said bighead.

"I told you to shut up!"

The two hotheads kept bickering until Aki suddenly thought of a plan.

"Hideyoshi- _sama_."

"Yes."

"I think we can use the all-out attack strategy, but after we weakened them first."

"And what do you have in store for us?" Hideyoshi asked.

"I mean, we have set our camp here on this hill, and Takamatsu castle was set down there. I think we have just the perfect plan to gain our early advantage." Aki replied.

Mitsunari, who had just heard about Aki's clues, finally found out what's in Aki's head.

"I think Aki wanted to say that we should use a flood attack against the castle."

"You're right, Mitsunari- _sama_. And I have known that Hideyoshi- _sama_ 's flood attack was very famous, so I think we could gain our early advantage in no hard problem."

Hideyoshi thought for a moment, before registering another problem they might face.

"Turning Takamatsu castle into a lake with a flood attack is indeed very advantageous for us, but if it was changed into a lake, doesn't that mean that we're going on like a naval battle? We surely can't match their naval skills without the iron-clads."

"But the castle's inhabitants won't think about this strategy, right? Especially there are no dams and levees near them." Mitsunari said. "So they might have less chance to form a naval formation."

"Hm, so that means we need to make our own dam and levee." Hideyoshi thought. "Well then, looks like we can use the flooding strategy outright. As for the dam and levee, I think we have someone capable to build one."

The four turned into Aki, and he bowed in front of them. "I will accept the task."

"Okay, so flood attack it is then. Let's show them the strength of Oda."

* * *

A few days later

"There...We finally had done our task." One of Aki's subordinates huffed. "We need to report to Master Aki."

"Come on." Another subordinate said. "Some of us should probably stay here to guard the levee. Don't forget to keep yourself hidden!"

"Alright, Captain."

The two higher-level subordinates then made their way to their master, which is waiting at the main camp.

* * *

Meanwhile at the camp.

"Hraaahh! I can't wait to be in action!" Masanori exclaimed.

"Shut up, Idiot!" Mitsunari grumbled.

"What's going on with you, bighead? Can't you just stop trying to restrain me?"

"Hey, what is going on here?" Kiyomasa tried to separate the fight. "Can't you just calm down and not wasting your stamina on this useless bickering?"

"..." Mitsunari then was silent.

* * *

At one of the tent, a samurai was sitting on a chair, with glasses of sake in front of him. Some empty bottles could be seen near him, meaning he had drunk a lot of those alcoholic substance by that time.

He was quite drunk, but even for that much amount of sake, then it could be considered strange that he wasn't.

"Tahei..."

He didn't answer, probably because his drunk state was still taking over here.

"TAHEI!"

Again, he didn't respond. The womanly figure then approached him and shook him outright.

"TAHEI MORI!"

"W...Wha..." The man, known as Tahei Mori finally heard the call, his drunk state slowly receded. "Eh...I...Izumi."

"What the hell are you doing? Can't you just stop drinking for a while?" The woman, known as Izumi scolded him. "And since when you called me Izumi?"

"Jeez, _ane-ue_ , but why? Is drinking becoming a problem for the forces, anyway? The battle hasn't even started yet! Why don't you try some of this instead." Tahei replied.

"No thank you." Izumi answered sternly. "Drink more and you will be too drunk even on carrying tasks, Tahei. Anyway, Kanbei-sama wanted to see you about something, but probably considering your state, maybe I should go instead..."

"I swear that I am not drunk enough, _ane-ue_! I can still walk, let me meet him right now!" Tahei got up, but his state didn't allow him to, and ended falling onto his sister's grab.

"Says the man who drunk almost 5 bottles of sake..." Izumi thought. "I guess it can't be helped. I think I should meet my lord instead."

She then carried her brother to his bed, and immediately reported to her lord.

* * *

-Outside the Tent-

"Aki-sama!" The two soldiers went to meet his lord. "The dam has been finished and we're ready to break down the levee at any time!"

"Good job, everyone!" Aki Kimura replied. "All we need to do is to report to Hideyoshi-sama. Meanwhile all of you could take some rest."

"Thank you, Aki-sama."

Aki's subordinates then took some rest while Aki went to meet Hideyoshi-sama.

* * *

A few days after Aki went to report to Hideyoshi, some boats had just arrived at Hideyoshi's request. Hideyoshi began to gather his soldiers, preparing to carry out the plan. The soldiers gathered near him, led by his protégés, with the addition of the returning Shikoku no Tensai, Aki Kimura, and then Mitsunari's close friend, Yoshitsugu Ōtani, his wife Nene, his strategist Kanbei Kuroda, and many other soldiers, totalling more than 100.000 troops to engage the last western threat.

"Lord Nobunaga had gone this far, and had almost succeeded in the unification of Japan. This battle will be our last step towards our lord Nobunaga's unification of Japan! Our victory here will seal this deal! Let's go and show the Mōri who's boss!"

"Alright! Time for some action!" the loudmouth Masanori shouted in glee, while Kiyomasa and Mitsunari just facepalmed.

"Okay, first of all, the flood task unit led by Aki will proceed to the levee and break it. Our front unit will stand by near the boats, and the other will stay at sides. The units at the sides should let yourselves hidden until the flood attack has been carried out. Once the flood attack had succeeded, the front unit will board these boats, and join up the side units to completely surround Takamatsu castle. Any questions?"

No sounds or any hand waves could be heard or seen.

"Okay then, the in-battle strategies and any other strategy will be tasked to Kanbei. Please listen on what he said! And since there are no more questions, we will start the battle now! Everyone, to your positions!"

* * *

At the levee area.

"T...That's lord Aki!" one of Aki subordinates who was in charge of protecting the levee noticed his lord's arrival.

"Could that mean, we're going to start the battle now?" Another subordinate asked.

"Probably..."

As Aki approached the levee, both subordinates bowed near his horse. The young genius just smiled and gave the code to break the levee. Both men, followed by Aki, approached the levee, and as they arrived, they quickly break it, resulting on a massive water flow from the multiple rivers whose flow had been altered to a dam. Aki's face formed a smirk as water began rushing very strongly and quickly towards Takamatsu

"With this, Takamatsu castle will surely be ours..."

* * *

-In the castle-

Muneharu Shimizu of Mōri was doing his usual activities in the castle, not aware of an attempt of invasion from the dominating Oda forces.

Well, except somehow he thought he had heard some strange noises outside the castle, and immediately send one of his soldiers to the rooftop to check about what's going on outside the castle.

The soldier climbed to the castle roof, only to find out a heavy surging flow of water rushed towards his direction. He gasped, shocked in place, and by the time he recovered, it was already too late.

"My lord...there's a surge of water approaching the cast..."

"I know, why you didn't say it sooner..." Muneharu sweatdropped as he began to climb the stairs to the rooftop too. Apparently the water began to seep into the castle, flooding the entire lower part of the castle. "Everyone...to the rooftop now!"

The hordes of soldiers inside the castle began to escape to the rooftop, apparently they are just hoping that the water began to dissipate to lower levels.

But, that wasn't their main concern, because apparently it's not the water level that made them in a verge of death at any moment.

Just outside the castle, which was at that time turned into a lake, could be seen boats whose flags resembled the emblem of Oda surrounding them.

"We're doomed."

* * *

Timeskip, to the time when the Mōri arrived.

The Mōri forces finally arrived, strangely, behind the Oda forces, As they looked at the "lake" surrounding the castle, their hearts, especially Terumoto's, Takakage's, Motoharu's, and Munekatsu's sank like it. The situation was almost unsalvagable, and Muneharu's life was really at risk. This brought down Munekatsu since he's quite close to Muneharu, being one of his colleagues who needed much of Munekatsu's lecture (especially about Ranks, look at the previous Chapter, probably 6 or 7).

But nonetheless, they have to salvage the seemed unsalvagable.

They need to find the "needle on a stack of hay", whilst needle is the victory.

At least, how to prolong the life of Mōri by saving Muneharu and stopping the Oda forces in their tracks, long enough...

Until the event, which Takakage had looked forward, occurred.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry if this chapter isn't filled with the actual Battle, whilst I used the Title of "Siege of Takamatsu." But hey! Flooding attack even before the confrontation counts as Siege, right? So, it's okay if I used the title "Siege of Takamatsu-Part 1", right?**

 **Duh, forget it.**

 **Next chapter will be derived mostly from SW4-II on Takakage Kobayakawa's "Wisdom and Grace" Stage 2-Siege of Takamatsu, with some additions, especially regarding Aki Kimura and one of the introduced female OC I used, Izumi Mori.**

 **Please R &R!**


	15. Battle 4-Siege of Takamatsu (Part 2)

**A/N: Back with another chapter. Maybe some of you will probably be confused on why Hana didn't appear on the previous chapter while she is the main character of this story. Well, that's probably because the previous chapter is the Oda Army's View, so Hana and Nagachika needed no time on that chapter.**

 **So sorry it needs very long time to update. Seems that my tasks was a bit too many and I began to enjoy other fancategory also (see at my profile).**

 **Okay, here's the second part of the Battle. But before that, let's reply some reviews!**

 **RosyMiranto18**

 **Damn! I'm not good at this honorific theories. Forgive me, Aki!**

 **Oh, as for Yamaiko, Izumi wanted a little word with you**

 **Izumi: Well, the world is narrow, don't you think? I'm just..well...a bit suited in those character. Well, let's be friends someday.**

 **Anyway, my guess is right? Man I'm just guessing! Hehe...**

 **Thanks for the review!**

 **Scarlet 'n Blossom**

 **Of course, according to the profile sir RosyMiranto18 had posted, Aki is also a master builder (or at least is very talented in it). While I also think that Takatora and Aki, both being builders, might did very well if they worked together.**

 **Thanks for the review!**

 **Okay, now, let's zip on to Chapter 15!**

Chapter 15-Siege of Takamatsu (Part 2)

* * *

"Okay, so do you have any ideas on how should we battle, uncle?" the leader of the Mōri, Terumoto asked."

"Let's see..."

Takakage then looked at the sunken castle, and the Oda Forces surrounding them. Apparently they are on the Oda's rear flank, but although Oda Forces were sandwiched between Takamatsu Castle and the Mōri reinforcements, it's clearly obvious that the "bread" of the sandwich was on pressure, and so it makes the Oda actually not sandwiched at all.

Except...

Takakage's mind formed an idea.

However, the idea will never come to fruition if they even have no strongholds on the battlefield. So, in order for the idea to fruit up, they need to secure a stronghold.

And that goes for the Mōri's first task.

"Okay, I think I found a little of an idea. But first, we need to secure a base for our main camp." Takakage said. "We have three choices: The southeastern garrison, the eastern garrison and the northeastern garrison, which one do you think might be better for us for the taking?"

"Isn't every garrison the same? Like, every base is guarded with equal power, and their position is quite far from Oda main Forces' reach." Hana tried to answer.

"Well, I might agree with Hana, if we didn't observe the garrisons more thoroughly." Nagachika chimed in. "The southeastern garrison is too far from action and makes us hard to reach any other garrison, maybe we could take it, but not as our main camp." Nagachika said.

"Seems true to me." Takakage said. "Do you have any ideas?"

Nagachika thought for a moment, before continuing his idea. "The northeastern garrison looked like the others, except that the garrison is open from four directions. We can split our forces and attack it from the east and north, a luring tactic might work as well."

"Doesn't that make us open on four directions too?" a Mōri retainer, Magobei Oda asked.

"Actually, no." Munekatsu said. "The northern path was open for us, but not for the Oda Forces, so we're not open from those. Moreover, if we take the other two garrisons, we could secure the southern and eastern path too. So, we only have to worry of the western path, which might prove not to be hard since this flood also limited their move."

"Okay, then. We should proceed to the northeastern garrison. We should use the luring tactic like Nagachika had said." Terumoto said.

"Since Terumoto was our commander, and we're going to secure a main camp, I assume that Terumoto and our main forces will be the occupying forces. Now we will need a volunteer for the luring forces." Takakage continued

"Let both of us accept the task." Nagachika said, along with Hana.

"Are you sure, Hana?" Takakage asked. Of course, he must've been worried of his own daughter anyway.

"Don't worry. I've learned much until now." Hana said proudly. "Moreover, I have Nagachika beside me. Together, both of us will prove more than enough." She clung onto her husband's arms

"Oh, someone's in love..." Magobei smirked.

"Whatever..." Nagachika said, hiding the little blushes formed after Hana's direct outburst. "Anyway, we should be going now. Sparing too much time means sparing Muneharu-sama's life too."

"You're absolutely correct. Hana and Nagachika, please proceed to the northern path. All other forces, as well as Terumoto-sama should go and wait on the eastern path. After our young couple managed to lure the occupants out, we should take it. Now, let's proceed!"

Everyone began to position themselves as Takakage had ordered. Hana and Nagachika made their way to the northern path, on the north side of the targeted garrison, while the others waited on the east side.

* * *

On the way

"Hana,"

"Yes, Nagachika"

"Well, I don't know how to say it, but, is it really necessary to say that sentence?"

"What sentence?" Hana asked, before realizing what he had meant. "Oh, you mean that one while talking to Father?"

Nagachika just nodded, not saying anything.

"Why, you don't like it?"

"N...No, I mean...I like it, but..."

"But what?"

"It's just..." Nagachika started to blush. "It's embarrassing, you know. Even Magobei-sama commented on those."

"Eh? He did?" Hana asked, trying to keep the shades away. "Doesn't matter to me, anyway. Remember back then when we don't have to regret anything come out from our hearts?"

"Yes, and no, I don't regret it, Hana."

'Then, just bear with it. You don't need to be so embarrassed." Hana smiled, before putting her hands on Nagachika's face.

"Ehm...Ha...Hana, I don't think we should do it..."

Hana looked a bit broken, "Why? You bored of me already?"

"No, but we're already feet away from the garrison!" Nagachika said to her, before pointing at the garrison. Hana, noticing this, put her hands away and took her weapon, standing by for battle.

Apparently the northern garrison was guarded by two warriors, one is a very buff warrior with short silly black hair, not wearing any samurai helmet. His outfit is one which covers only a quarter of his body, leaving his upper right-side body uncovered. A giant mace could be seen on his right arm, marking that it was his weapon.

The Mōri might not know about this guy, but the Oda forces of course knew him as the strong-but-idiotic-like (according to Mitsunari) Masanori Fukushima.

The other, well is a kinda formal one with samurai helmet and armor. He's not buffer then Masanori, but it was proportional enough for a samurai. His name...well...is Nagamasa Asano, another samurai under Nobunaga.

"So, what to do?" Hana asked.

"Let's try to lure them, but do you have any idea on how? Direct confrontation probably won't work if they are clever enough." Nagachika asked.

"You know what...I too have no idea." Hana said.

"You gotta have to be kidding me Don't you have at least any idea?" Nagachika asked quite loudly, making the two guards of the northern garrison notice them.

"Huh, aren't they..." Nagamasa pointed at the arguing couple. He looked at them more carefully and noticed the Mōri crest pinned on their clothes. "Crap! Mōri reinforcements!"

"What, Mōri reinforcements?" the "idiot" guard was startled, taking his mace with him. "I'll send them packing!"

The couple continued arguing until Nagachika's eyes darted towards the pursuing Nagamasa and Masanori. "Crap, we're caught! We need to get out from here!" Nagachika said, before grabbing his wife's hand. "Let's go, Hana!"

"B...But..."

"Look, this is probably a good chance to lure them since they're pursuing us anyway." Nagachika said.

The couple proceeded to run towards the northern forest. The guards, just like Nagachika had predicted, pursued them instead of letting them go. They were chasing the Mōri lures until deep inside the northern forest, unaware of yet another scheme put by the mind of Mōri.

As they lured Masanori and Nagamasa far enough, Nagachika gave a signal for the main forces to take action. This was responded quite quickly by the main forces as they managed to take the empty northeastern garrison, isolating Nagamasa and Masanori in an instant.

"What the..." Masanori looked at his back to see the main Mōri forces had taken his base. The lure couple, which at first being pursued, now charged towards the two isolated generals. Hana was charging Nagamasa while Nagachika challenged Masanori to a fight.

It didn't take too long before the two guards, despite their excellence and strength, finally withdrew as some of the main Mōri forces began reinforcing the lure couple.

"Great job, you two." A retainer, Narihide Kodama congratulated the couple. "Takakage- _sama_ wanted to see you both, it seems we're going for another task."

"From what father had stated before, I think the next step is to occupy the eastern and southeastern garrison. I hope this shouldn't be a problem." Nagachika said. "Hana, Naruhide-sama, we should go now."

* * *

The three then proceeded into the newly-acquired main camp, rendezvousing with Takakage, Terumoto and some other allies.

"Glad you make it right, good job Hana, Nagachika." Takakage said.

"Thank you, Takakage- _sama_." Nagachika bowed, then stood up with a little help from Hana since he stumbled a little, grasping Hana's shoulder on the act.

"Okay, is this another form to show a lovey-dovey act even in this battle?" Magobei teased.

"Oh, please..." Nagachika sweatdropped on the comment. "So, what should we do next?"

"I think it's just like what your father had said." Takakage replied. "We should take the eastern and southeastern garrison to make sure our main camp is safe. This is probably a not too hard task, so we just need a few people to engage it, while some will stay here for preparing our next plan."

"Let me and Nagachika do it, father." Hana said spiritedly.

"As much as I want you to do as such, but I think Nagachika won't be doing it since he's probably becoming a part of our plan." The commander, Terumoto suddenly spoke.

"Eh?"

"Nagachika was one of our best young officers. If possible, I wanted him to be part of our plan."

Every officer went silent, as Nagachika went down to bow. Takakage looked a bit amused, but also a bit confused on his nephew's decision. "Uh, care to explain, Terumoto-sama?"

"This base's defense is quite strong, so I think I could send some extra officers for the plan."

"If that's the case, well..." Takakage thought for a moment. "I think I could agree."

"But, father?" Hana pouted, a bit sad that she had to be separated with her husband. "Trust me, Hana, not I wanted to say you're not capable enough for the plan, but to ensure our plan is a success, some "sacrifices" must be made. I knew Terumoto trusted Nagachika very much, and he's also having more enough experience. Please understand this, Hana, can you?"

"U...Um..."

"It's okay, Hana. I know what your father meant." Nagachika said. "I..."

"Please, Nagachika?"

"Eh?"

"Promise me you won't overdo everything. I don't want to be separated forever." Hana hugged her husband again.

"Ehem! I'm sorry to break the love-fest, but Muneharu doesn't have too much time left, so we should proceed now." Terumoto said with a little smirk

Hana and Nagachika blushed while the other officers nodded in agreement. "Well, this "next plan" is quite tricky, so I will need my best generals to carry out the task." Terumoto said. "Uncle, you can explain now."

"Thank you, Terumoto." Takakage replied, now beginning to explain about the plan. "Since Terumoto also wanted to send some troops, then we will proceed with a better plan, a pincer attack reinforcement."

"For now, Hana and Ekei-sama will take the two garrisons. Make sure you did it with as little noise as possible." Takakage said.

"Sir!" Both Hana and Ekei Ankokuji bowed before leaving the base to the desired garrisons.

"Okay, for our plan:"

"Magobei-sama and Narihide-sama will form a team, and the Nomi will also form a team. Both team will advance to Takamatsu castle using small boats from different approaches; one will be advancing from the southern river, while the other from the northern river. You will both proceed after Hana and Ekei-sama finished taking out the garrisons. Any questions?"

Silence...

"Okay, no questions then. Now the four of you should prepare your troops and discuss on who going where. The others, please continue defending our main camp until further instructions."

"Hai!" the officers replied energeticly.

"Okay, all of you should go now, Dismissed!"

* * *

-Hana's PoV-

I was on my way to the Southeastern Garrison. Apparently Ekei-sama and I have decided that Ekei-sama should go to the Eastern Garrison, while the Southeastern one is for my grasp. It shouldn't be a big problem to me.

Well, I felt a bit different, though. This time I was without Nagachika on my side. Seriously I didn't know what my father planned to do, and why I must be separated from Nagachika.

Does that mean my father finally trust me to do what I wanted to? Does that mean father now believed in me?

Ah, how delighted I am if he did.

But somehow my other self, I mean, my mind also projected something I should've thought before. With me doing everything myself, I can freely do what I want, but with cost.

I was alone...except that my father trusted a page for me. Though he's one of quite loyal, he was too quiet and looked tense on every occasion, which didn't help me dissuade my loneliness.

And I don't know how my father, my comrades, and especially my love is now faring in the battle. I have almost lost contact with them.

Now I also knew the consequences of this "freedom". I started to worry about them, about father, about Nagachika, and many others. I started to lose my focus again.

"Milady, is something wrong?" _Ah finally the page spoke, what a silent guy_.

"Eh, no, it's okay." I replied.

Then it became silent again. Seriously, how silent this page could be?

Finally, after minutes of silent journey, both of us arrived at the Southeastern garrison. The garrison is protected by someone named Bitchū Kinoshita, if I'm not mistaken. This guy doesn't look pretty tough, wait...

I saw another one, a young one, I guess. From the family crest visible on his armor, he was from the Katō clan. Should've he been Kiyomasa Katō?

It seems that I have to stop thinking and start battling, because apparently I have entered the garrison;

"Lord Yoshiaki, we have a guest here!" said the one I thought as Bitchū Kinoshita. Oh so the other one should've been Yoshiaki Katō then.

Yoshiaki saw me and immediately charged me using his sword, which I barely blocked. What a welcome...

I have no choice but to engage them (in combat, not in...well...you know). My page backed me a little by defeating the private guards. Although he's not well-versed in combat, but I guess he could withstand the privates, I believe him.

I was forced on a 2-vs-1 combat, and was on the defense. This Yoshiaki Katō is really good, although I won't say as much for his partner. Kami I hope I can turn this combat.

And seems like Kami has answered my prayers.

As fatigue began to envelope all three of us, I manage to withstand all the attacks and forced Bitchū to withdraw, leaving me and Yoshiaki in a 1-vs-1 combat. Ah finally we're even!

Both of us was already showing fatigue, but I won't back down! And I bet he also won't. My spear clashed with his sword again for how many times already, My spirit was almost reaching its highest peak, come on, a little more.

Yoshiaki still tried to slash at me for Kami knows how many times already, and began to stop attacking.

Now it's my turn. I kept attacking him until my spirit fully reached its highest peak. And there goes after a few hits.

'Now it's time to finish'. I thought as I broke my spear into two short spears. Yoshiaki seems a bit fazed on my weapon change, but being a warrior he was, he continued to attack me. But of course since I'm in my rage mode, he almost stood no chance against me, ah now there we go with my cocky attitude, forget it.

Finally, he lost his stamina and momentum, and I forced him to flee. The southern garrison is all mine.

Duh, it takes this much for taking a single garrison? How will this battle unfold then?

Forget it, now with me taking this garrison, I asked my page to report back to father, signaling that the garrison is now available to use.

* * *

-Moments later, in the Mōri main camp-

-Takakage's PoV-

It took quite a long time, but finally Hana and Ekei-sama had done their task with both pages reporting back to me. Okay then, now to call our task force.

"Magobei-sama, Narihide-sama, you can now proceed to the garrison on the southeast, and please tell my daughter to stay there until further instructions. While Munekatsu-sama and Nagachika will go to the northern area. Don't forget to bring the boat parts." I instructed.

The four great warriors of the Mōri task force began to go to their posts. In my mind I was quite worried, but I believe in my allies.

I know Muneharu could be rescued and we can hold out for long. I know the chance will show itself.

* * *

 **A/N: That's enough for this chapter. I planned it to be longer but since the story stats has approximately 2700-2900 words per chapter, then I decided to stop it, and coincidentally the battle also finished its second part.**

 **A little spoiler: The third part will be containing the rest of the battle, either it includes the Negotiations or not, it depends on the next update.**

 **And seems like since today is already the 5th month, I'm so sorry that the next update will be my last update before my project starts, which means there will be no new chapters after the next chapter until August, except if I MIRACULOUSLY allowed to update while I'm in the project area.**

 **Please Read and Review!**


	16. Battle 4-Siege of Takamatsu (Part 3)

**A/N: Okay, seems like I have to post this chapter before the project. This chapter and the next chapter will cover the last of the Takamatsu Siege (including the Negotiations). And as I've said before, these will probably the last chapters before I went off to my project area (for you Indonesians, I'm running a project with my group in Klaten, Central Java (I don't know if it still includes in Yogyakarta or not)) until August. Although I'm not prohibited to bring my laptop, I assume that it's almost impossible for me to update because I need to work the whole day, and probably no time for updates, Sorry.**

 **Anyway, for the reviews:**

 **RosyMiranto18** **: No...not that Oda. Magobei Oda is a pure retainer of the Mōri. I haven't specifically search for the Oda family name, but I think it's different from Nobunaga's Oda, so he's not a spy. Well, I represented him to be a little teasing, anyway, just like Motoharu to Takakage :v.**

 **Thanks for the review.**

 **Scarlet 'n Blossom** **: Ah, you seem to be very interested in the main couple. Yeah, I wrote them almost like a fairy-tale couple, didn't I? I guess I can't put on too much conflict between them, too bad. Maybe you can give some little tricks or ideas to make this pair looked more realistic? Hehe...**

 **Thanks for the review.**

 **Here's the new chapter!**

Chapter 16: Siege of Takamatsu (Part 3)

* * *

-Hana's PoV-

Now, what should I do?

I've had finished retaking this southeastern garrison, and sent back my page off back to Terumoto- _sama_ at the main camp.

Right now I'm recovering myself at this newly-obtained garrison. That battle against two warriors Yoshiaki Katō and Bitchū Kinoshita proved to be quite difficult. I don't know, probably I'm not strong enough and relied too much on my beloved Nagachika.

Speaking of him, I'm still quite worried for him. This is probably the first time since we're married that I went through a battle without him.

What's this? I've been married to him for almost 13 years now, and I'm still worried about him? Didn't I trust him enough? No, that's not it, it's pretty common for wives to be worried for their husband's safety, isn't it? It utterly just a proof that Nagachika and I still loved each other,

Oh, wait a minute, isn't that?

I looked outside the garrison to see two Mōri warriors approaching me, I instantly recognized both of them, the first one is the warrior rendezvousing with Nagachika and me after we took the northern garrison, and the other one is the teaser...I mean, warrior who liked to tease my actions toward Nagachika.

"Magobei- _sama_ , Narihide- _sama_." I bowed to them as soon as they entered the garrison. "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, Hana- _dono_." Narihide greeted me with another bow. "We just need to go to the southern river through this garrison's port. Takakage- _sama_ requested us to reinforce the castle."

"All right then. Let me escort you there and help you for preparing the reinforcement." I replied as I walked with them.

"Actually," Magobei interrupted us. "Takakage- _sama_ wanted you to stay here instead and wait for further instructions, milady don't need to help us, we can help ourselves."

"Um, if that's what father wanted, then I have no choice but to obey then." I said. 'Never wanted to see father mad again.'

"In that case, we're taking our leave, Hana- _dono_." Narihide greeted.

"Oh, and please stay focus on the battle, and not too much on Nagachika, okay" Magobei teased.

"Magobei- _sama_!" I blushed hearing that tease...again.

And with that I just watched the two Mōri retainers departed using the boats on the southeastern port. I just watched and continued to wait for another instructions.

* * *

-3rd Person's PoV-

Meanwhile, Munekatsu and Nagachika had also boarded their boats and made their way to the castle. And the preparation for the plan had finally completed.

-Mōri Main Camp-

The messengers of Mōri had reported back to Terumoto that the two teams of reinforcement had made their way to the boats and is on the way to Takamatsu castle. Apparently Takakage had also known about the news.

'To make sure the boats go unnoticed, I think we should distract the Oda forces. But with these numbers, and not to mention that they have Kanbei- _dono_ on their ranks, I know this might prove to be difficult.' Takakage thought. "But we have no choice, since the northern part was not accessible, or so I thought, I can send Hana and Ekei to invade the southern and middle part of the battlefield, I hope this is distracting enough.'

'But then, what if the northern part is somehow become accessible? Ergh...this is particularly not easy at all.' Takakage thought, still thinking of a way.

Just then, Motoharu approached him, concerned about Takakage's sudden confusion. A good brother must help if his sibling is in need, right?

"Something wrong, Takakage?"

" _A...Ani-ue_ ", Takakage turned back to see his older brother approached him. "What are you doing here?"

"Just strolling through the main camp. Looks like we don't have to battle much." Motoharu replied. "What about you? You seemed like something is not right...what happened?"

"Eh, n...nothing, I guess."

"You can't lie to your brother, Takakage. I know something is wrong. Tell me, I can probably help you." Motoharu said, before his mind forming an idea. "Oh, don't tell me this is because of Hayakawa- _dono_ again?"

"Shut up!" Takakage snapped with a little shade of red on his cheeks. 'My brother surely could be very annoying everytime'.

"Oh, so I'm right?" Motoharu smirked again, before bursting into laughter.

"Please, _ani-ue_. Look, if you want to tease me then do it at another time." Takakage mumbled.

"Okay...okay, you know I'm just kidding." Motoharu said. "So, just tell me the truth. Is something bothering you?"

Takakage then told his brother about the plan, and what he feared on how this battle might progress. Motoharu just listened carefully.

"Oh, now I get it. In that case, let Hiroie and I guard the northern area." Motoharu offered.

"B...But...what about the main camp?"

"The main camp is unreachable, right? With all four sides be guarded, then I think it's quite necessary for us to disperse our forces a bit. Although well, we must be alert anytime."

"That's a risky idea." Takakage replied. "But it seems like we have no choice. I suggest I can trust both of you then."

"Got it. Oh, and please stay focus on the battle and not on your lady, okay?"

"Huft...I get it, I get it, okay." Takakage glared at his brother before turning to his pages. "Alright then, please tell Hana and Ekei- _sama_ for the next instruction here." Takakage said to both pages as he gave them instruction letters.

* * *

-At the Southeastern Garrison-

The pages made their way to Hana and Ekei, giving them instructions for the next steps for the battle. Hana examined it and immediately rushed for the southern battlefield. It seems that the instruction was to invade the southern area, along with Ekei Ankokuji.

"Finally, an attack instruction. Believe me, it's getting very boring to defend a secluded garrison." Hana huffed.

She picked up her dual-sided spear and rushed for the southern garrison, rendezvousing with Ekei before reaching the garrison.

"Hana- _dono_ , I was tasked to assault the garrison with you. I hope we can do well." Ekei greeted as they rendezvoused.

"Of course. We have to, for the sake of Mōri clan." Hana replied vigorously, which made Ekei chuckled on her spirit.

"Such young spirit. I'm going to do my best, but pardon me if I can't keep up as much as Nagachika- _sama_ usually did."

"E...Eh..." Hana blushed on the mentioning of her husband, followed by another chuckle by the elder warrior.

"Okay, teases aside, we have work to do. Let's go, Hana- _dono_." Ekei said.

The younger lady nodded and rushed the southern garrison, which apparently was guarded by another fearsome opponent and one of Hideyoshi's protégé aside from Masanori.

* * *

-Meanwhile in Oda Main Camp-

An Oda messenger had just spotted Hana and Ekei rushing to the southern garrison, and reported about it to the cunning strategist of the Oda.

"Hmm, so they have made their move, haven't they." Kanbei thought. 'Something's not right, it's already pointless to save Takamatsu Castle, so what are they planning to do?'

"Since they are attacking the south, they left their north open. Tahei Mori, could you lower the drawbridge and seek and burn their main camp?"

Unknown to him, his right-hand man was zoning out, probably the after-effect of the drinks before the battle, which caused his older sister to sweatdrop, and smacked him on his head.

"Tahei, you listening?"

"Eh, what?"

"Just as I thought." Izumi huffed. "Lord Kanbei requested you to lower the northern drawbridge and proceed from there to Mōri's main camp. Are you sober enough to do it, or you want your dearly older sister to did it for you?"

"No, let me do it. I haven't drunk for today so I must've been sober enough. Just let me take a few fireball soldiers and going out right now." Tahei said before moving out to the private's campsite.

"Why did I sense something not right with him?" Izumi mumbled.

"Put more faith in your brother, Izumi- _dono_." Kanbei said a bit sternly. "I am more concerned with why I did sense that Takakage was plotting something."

* * *

-At the southern garrison-

-Hana's PoV-

"So you have come..." a grayish white-haired warrior holding a battle sickle greeted us. I looked at him, his toned figure and young looks, probably at his early twenties, and more specifically on the crest on his clothes, another symbol of Katō clan.

We have defeated Yoshiaki Katō before, and I guess Tatsu Katō hasn't joined yet. Moreover, he holds a battle sickle, so this guy must've been Kiyomasa Katō. Well this guy was rumoured to be Hideyoshi's protégé, so he should've been strong.

"To think that both of you had taken over Masanori's base and proceeded here, I must say that either both of you are strong, or Masanori was an idiot." Kiyomasa grumbled.

 _Trust me, you wanted to say the second._

"Probably both?" I chuckled, before pointing her spear towards the young protégé. "And I guess I can do the same for you."

 _Cocky again, Hana, you shouldn't learn this kind of act from Nagachika._

"Quite a big-headed lady you are. Prove it to me then." Kiyomasa said as he launched an attack against both of us.

His moves are quite fast and strong, a bit unusual for a toned-postured warrior like him. I expect him to be slow, but I don't think he was after I saw his attacks.

Ekei- _sama_ is struggling. Well I can't blame him since he's already very old and has his limits, but I respected his bravery against this youngster.

We continued to battle a 2-vs-1, Ekei- _sama_ was struggling so I am stuck on defending him too, making our battle surprisingly even. Heck his stamina was not like Yoshiaki or Bitchū, this guy had almost infinite stamina. And as a result, both Ekei- _sama_ and I showed signs of fatigue first.

Luckily, I managed to land a weak-spot hit on him, stopping his array of attacks and turning the table, now he was forced on the defensive, while Ekei- _sama_ landed only a few hits due to his high fatigue level.

Minutes passed, and finally that strong protégé was forced to retreat.

"You've got some skills, let's battle again someday." Kiyomasa said.

Wait, someday?

Didn't Hideyoshi want to obliterate the Mōri? Or is there something that make them spare the Mōri?

Is this what my father meant? Is something going on?

I basically tried to forget it and continued the assault to another garrison.

* * *

-On the northern part of the battlefield-

"Takakage- _sama_ , I've got news!" A messenger told him. "It seems that a bridge has been constructed at the northern part of the battlefield, and some of the enemy forces are heading that way."

"My fears had been proven to be correct." Takakage murmured. "Good grief that _ani-ue_ had already take the guard task. I should thank him after this."

"Okay, inform Motoharu _ani-ue_ and Hiroie- _sama_ to engage the northern enemy forces.

* * *

-Moments Later-

Tahei Mori had proceeded to the forest just north of the Mōri main camp. He found out that the field is empty, or so he thought.

"Okay, everyone, prepare your fires...hic." _Damn, he's drunk._

"Tahei- _sama_ , you alright?" One of the soldiers asked.

"If you are too drunk, you can stay back and just give us the orders, then we can do it for you."

"Nah, it's okay...hic."

He wasn't sober enough to see that somebody was hiding and watching him suspiciously.

By the time they finished setting the materials needed for the fire, suddenly two figures along with their subordinates launched an assault against them.

"W...What? Where did you guys come from?"

" _Doesn't he recognize that he is near our main camp?"_ Hiroie sweatdropped. Motoharu, on the other hand, knew that the man they're facing was drunk, and just sighed on his own. _"Seriously?"_

They managed to repel Tahei off, but somehow his subordinates were able to help him escape. "Tch, master was too drunk to battle."

"I know right! You should see that bottles of sake on his tent. Although he's an alcohol-tolerant, but that doesn't mean he can drink it like water, right?" Another subordinate said to his friend.

* * *

-Hideyoshi's Camp-

"I should've known that you're too drunk to accept this task." Izumi groaned, looking at her drunk and injured brother. "I just know it!"

"Give him a chance, Izumi- _dono_." A fellow subordinate of Hideyoshi (right now) said to her. "He at least had tried to did his task, although well, I still can't help it...with that so much bottles on his camp, how can he even stand still?"

"He's alcohol-tolerant, Aki- _sama_. A few of us knows about this "gift". But still, he couldn't stay sober if he exceeded his limit. I have already told him multiple times, but my scoldings might have just reached dead ears." Izumi frowned.

"I know how you feel, Izumi- _dono_." Aki said. "It must be hard to be his sister, but...sorry if this is rude...for you to stay sane after that much commotion caused by him and his so-called "gift", that was quite amazing enough." Aki chuckled.

"Hey, you know that's rude, don't you?" Izumi snapped, but soon followed by a light chuckle, and as they wanted to continue their little chat, it seems a certain someone had to finish the event early.

"Oh, Kanbei- _dono_." Izumi bowed, followed by Aki. "Did something happen?"

"This is just my concern, but I think something's not right within our reinforcements back at Honnoji, it won't be long before something goes wrong within us. So I'm afraid that we have to haste everything up. So, both of you, please ready your weapons and bring an ultimatum for the Shimizu to surrender Takamatsu castle. I've sent Ishida and Ōtani on the south of the castle too. So you won't be doing this alone. Now, you may go."

"Hai!" Both Aki and Izumi bowed before going towards the castle.

* * *

-Meanwhile on the newly-obtained Garrison-

Hana and Ekei were resting on the garrison, preparing for another battle, either defensive or offensive. The battle against Kiyomasa Katō had depleted much of their stamina, while the battle was seemingly still far from over.

"I suppose my men had been overly exhausted in this battle." A voice suddenly surprised them.

"Eh...Takakage- _sama_ "

"F...Father?"

"Nice to see you two still okay." Takakage said.

"B...But, Takakage- _sama_ , what about the main camp? Is it okay if you left it?"

"Don't worry, it should be okay. _Ani-ue_ and his son already got it covered." Takakage replied. "What's more, I don't think that they are going to attack us anyway, judging by their movements, I think they're pushing onto Takamatsu Castle."

"So, what should we do then, Father?" Hana asked.

"We should probably go reinforce the Shimizu inside the castle now, I hope you still had enough stamina left, don't you?"

"Err...I guess so." Ekei replied.

"I'm always ready for everything." Hana replied vigorously.

"Okay then, let's take the central route and march to Takamatsu Castle.

* * *

-Northern Side-

"Ah, finally! Here we are!" Izumi said as she regained her stamina. "You want to do the ultimatum, Aki- _sama_?"

"Engh...well..." Aki thought for a bit. "I guess I can do it."

Aki took his breath for a while, and began to shout.

"For all the occupants of Takamatsu Castle! Surrender the castle right now, or..."

"Or probably you wanted to use force? Maybe before you do that, you could get past me first!" Suddenly two figures approached them from a checkpoint, and stopped near them.

"Y...You!" Aki exclaimed, surprised on who had halted them.

"It's been a while, Kimura-san."

* * *

-Southern Side-

"Yoshitsugu, come on!" a red-wig warrior with fans rode his horse towards Takamatsu Castle, along with his white-clothed friend, whose face was almost invisible.

"All right, but we don't have to rush, Mitsunari." Yoshitsugu replied to him calmly. 'I certainly have not much idea on why he's rushing things alright. The flow of this battle was still ours. Except...'

"Kanbei requested us to do this quickly, so I sense that something is going to happen. Let's go, time's flowing against us." Mitsunari exclaimed.

'Hmph.' Yoshitsugu just chuckled hearing Mitsunari took his usual line of flow.

Minutes later

"Okay, here's Takamatsu Castle. I hope that old lady and that young imbecile managed to do it."

"First off, I think you should calm down and respect your colleagues, Mitsunari." Yoshitsugu replied. "Second, I think we have a little problem ourselves."

"What do you mean?"

Yoshitsugu just pointed at the stronghold near them, and Mitsunari saw a horde of Mōri forces led by Magobei Oda and Narihide Kodama approaching them.

"What...The..."

"Okay, enough being surprised, Mitsunari. Let us just quickly take them both and continue our task."

* * *

 **A/N: I stop it here due to the number of words exceeding 3000. I'll be posting the next part which covers the last of the battle and the Negotiations in a short time, probably tomorrow or Monday.**

 **Please R &R!**


	17. Battle 4-Siege of Takamatsu (Part 4)

**A/N: *Ungh* Sorry for the long update. I have promied this chapter to be out just one or two days after the last chapter but then something happened, I was suddenly attacked with a disease and was unable to continue very quickly (moreover I was on the exam week, so, you know).**

 **Before continuing, let's reply some reviews:**

 **RosyMiranto18**

 **Oh, well, sometimes not all people drink for suppressing the sorrows, but maybe Tahei looked like one.**

 **Oh, don't worry, Aki. I'll be passing your message to that Ishida guy. Seriously, not only you, but also I can't stand that excuse of a bighead. You will finally realize about this when you're defeated at O...oops, almost a spoiler.**

 **Anyway, I'm still trying to put Aki in character, and thanks for your guide on Aki's honorific calls!**

 **Thanks for the review!**

 **Scarlet 'n Blossom**

 **Iceman? Really?**

 **Oh my, don't follow that guy, Suzu! He might be amazing for a drinker, but God knows what will happen afterwards! Don't follow him, for your sake!**

 **Oh, and don't worry, Suzu. Although it will be out in August, you will appear at the next chapter or the chapter after the next one. Stay tuned and maybe for Scarlet 'n Blossom, you should be ready if I suddenly PM you regarding Suzu, okay XD.**

 **Thanks for the review!**

 **A'ight, here's the last part of the battle!**

Chapter 17- Siege of Takamatsu (Part 4)

* * *

-Northern Side-

"Nomi Nagachika- _dono_ , you here?"

"Boy...boy...calm down for a minute." Nagachika replied.

"You know this man, Aki- _sama_?" Izumi asked the younger warrior.

"Of course, we've met several times at Kizugawa and Iyō, he's one tough cookie, to be honest." Aki- _sama_ said. "But I think I will finally surpass you today."

"Then, prove it!"

"Alright then! Izumi- _dono_ , I hope you won't mind dealing with that older man, I'll take on Nagachika- _dono_ myself!"

"Alright, Aki- _sama_. Good luck!"

And so Izumi duels off Munekatsu, while Aki challenged Nagachika in a 1-vs-1 duel.

* * *

-Central Side-

"We've finally made it!" Hana said, looking at the flooded castle right in front of her. "Hmm, so where should we go then?"

"Why don't you check if your husband had made it at the northern side, and assist him if he needed help? In the meantime, I'll check on Muneharu in the castle and as for Ekei-sama..."

"U...Ungh!" The older warrior hissed. Seems like he was in pain of some sort.

"E...Ekei- _sama_ , you okay?" Takakage said.

"Uh, it's okay, I think I just cramped a little of my muscles." Ekei-sama replied.

"Oh... _g...Gomenasai_ , Ekei-sama. I should've known that you can't run or walk too much." Hana replied, earning a little smile from the older warrior.

"It's okay, Hana- _dono_. I'm not that old that I can't do such things. I'm just a bit "overusing" my stamina too much." The older warrior replied. "So, what to do?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Takakage asked.

"Yes, I'm sure"

"Then, you should go south and help Magobei- _sama_ and Narihide- _sama_ in assisting the southern part of Takamatsu Castle."

"Leave it to me then!"

* * *

-Northern Part, half an hour later-

"Argh! It seems like I still hasn't proven myself yet." Aki said as he knelt in front of his opponent, probably losing his duel.

"You've grown much stronger, Kimura- _san_. I knew one day in the future you will finally surpass me." Nagachika told him. "You're still very young and a powerful fighter I should say. I won't be doing anything to you, you can go back to your main camp and heal yourself. I hope we can battle again someday."

"I accept your offer. But you better be ready because I'll grow stronger yet, and then let's see what will happen." Aki said as he withdrew to the camp.

"A strong one, indeed. I was barely on the advantage. Who knows what will happen if I lost focus even once?" Nagachika thought.

He was barely walking straight and fatigue rushed onto him too much. He was overly exhausted.

He didn't even notice that the other warrior was rushing onto him.

* * *

-Southern Part-

"Tch...these guys are very tough." Magobei said.

Right now both Mōri warriors were struggling against the young protégé of Hideyoshi, specifically the big-headed and red-wigged Mitsunari Ishida, with the ever-mysteriously calm Yoshitsugu Ōtani. Currently the Mōri warriors were at disadvantage, despite the lack of body posture of a fighter from Mitsunari and Yoshitsugu.

"They're so fast. How can we keep up with these guys?"

"Need some helping hand?"

The two warriors turned to see an older warrior approaching them. "Oh, old man Ekei, how nice for you to join us." Magobei smirked.

"I'm just 44 and I'm not too old for battle, Magobei- _sama_." Ekei said. "Looks like two youngsters had pinned you down, I see?"

"Oh, another old imbecile." Mitsunari groaned. "Seriously?"

"You better watch your mouth, young'n. Why don't we settle this out now?"

"Not my problem, though. Guess I have no choice." Mitsunari said as he unfolded his fan and charged at the three warriors."

* * *

-Central Part-

-Hana's PoV-

To the north I go...

If I'm not mistaken, Munekatsu- _sama_ and Nagachika should've been arriving at the northern part of the castle too. But since Oda was forcing the attack, doesn't that mean that they're facing rallying officers? If so, they must've been in trouble.

Ah, why should I be worried anyway? They're very strong, I know they can repel any officers who rushed onto them. They're very talented, I know.

But, why did I have these strange feeling.

Somehow I felt something was going to be wrong, and I felt it alright.

I rushed onto the northern field, and I finally saw him. The one I valued so much, aside from my father, mother and children.

My guardian, my lovely guardian.

Finally I can see...

But...

That's not what I wanted to see...True, my eyes caught glimpse to my dear, but...I didn't expect him to back off from his enemy and leaving himself vulnerable like that.

I saw Nagachika was walking slowly, and his face looked exhausted. He must've been using too much stamina on the battle.

No that's not my real concern. My biggest concern is that, _I saw a warrior lady pulled out her Naginata, and rushed towards him_

Oh no! Nagachika!

* * *

-Nagachika's PoV-

Strange, did I just felt a very familiar appearance here other than my father? I don't know, but the steps I took...I think I can't move forward for much longer. My feet and arms are killing me.

That little guy... his courage and stubbornness reminded me of Hana, really. I have to admit that he's now pretty strong, unlike him at Kizugawa. Now his reckless moves are slowly turning into a more graceful and patterned move.

If I didn't train enough before this battle, who knows what happened.

"Aaaaaargh!"

I heard a scream, a female mighty scream.

Wait a minute, Father and I did encounter two enemies, I asked him to battle the female while I battled the male... I know father should've defeated the female, anyway.

But realization hit me; Father didn't say that he had taken care of the female, right? If so, was father defeated by her?

Crap! My body can't respond. I'm too exhausted.

I sense a weapon tip is going nearing me. Each second and it becomes nearer and nearer. My body is numb, I can't help it.

Sooner or later, I was too numb and too late to repel that slash.

 _I'm sorry for being a dense husband, Hana. Please continue living._

* * *

-Takamatsu Castle-

-Takakage's PoV-

After separating from Hana and Ekei- _sama_ , finally I got into the castle. I quickly approached the retainer needing help.

"Muneharu- _sama_ , you okay?" I asked. _A dense question...How can he be okay after all these commotions._

"Takakage- _sama_." The retainer replied. "It's okay, my lord shouldn't help me. I'm ready to face my doom, anyway."

"No you can't." I replied said. "You're my retainer and the Mōri needed you. My retainer's life is my responsibility too, alright?"

"H...Hai." Muneharu replied.

"Now, go back to our main camp to recover. You're probably too exhausted to defend this castle."

"Takakage- _sama_ 's right. Leave the castle on us." Suddenly three officers approached us. _Oh, they've made it._

"Ekei- _sama_ , Magobei _-sama_ , Narihide _-sama_ , glad you can make it safe." I said to them. "I am not doubtful that I can leave these castle on your formidable defences, I suppose?"

"Don't worry, we can take it from here." Narihide said.

* * *

-Northern Side-

-Nagachika's PoV-

 _I'm sorry, Hana..._

"Clang!"

 _Eh?_

Isn't that a clashing weapon sound I heard? I'm not dreaming, ain't I?

This presence...is very familiar.

" _Baka_!"

 _Huh?_

"You _Baka_! What the heck are you thinking? You could just be killed mere seconds ago!"

That sound, of course...

"Nagachika, you hear me?" It's freaking obvious that she was angry with me. Welp, no wonder because I could just be cut down and then Nagachika Nomi is no more.

I can just watch quietly as Hana parried all of the female warrior's slashes, who's her name... Izumi...yes...Izumi. God she's at rage again, two short pikes are nothing to be underestimated, no sir.

Izumi's Naginata was consecutively parrying off Hana's double slashes. Very obvious that she's in rage mode. _God I don't want to be in Izumi's position right now_.

"You certainly are strong, young lady." Izumi panted as they're retaliating themselves. "But it seems I have not much time, I was summoned back so let us battle again someday." Izumi said as she retreated back into her camp.

She retreated, my eyes now darted towards my beloved, I can see very clearly that she was exhausted, but I can't miss another emotion hidden behind it.

She missed me, but at the same time, a darkened aura was sensible.

 _Okay, nice way to get onto your wife's bad side, Nagachika. Prepare yourself._

She began to fix her gaze on me, slowly walking towards me, and I'm walking towards her. _Ah this shouldn't be a problem_ , when suddenly

"SMACK!"

W...What the...

Hana punched me quite hard on my left shoulder. Regarding her strength, I guess I broke my left shoulder, ugh.

You confused? Hey, read back when she grabbed my hand while she's falling asleep years ago...oh such a reminiscing memory...

"You know why I punch you, don't you?" Hana said with a mix of concern, tease and most importantly, anger.

 _You don't have to ask me that. Of course I know_

"Yeah, _g...Gomen..._ " I said in an afraid tone. _You earned it, Nagachika_.

"Okay, so how about if you do my chores back at home for the full week when we got back home as a punishment, Nagachika?"

 _E-ehh?_

"Just kidding." Hana smiled. "But seriously, what the hell are you thinking back there?"

"N...Nothing! I was just too exhausted, that's all."

"And with that you even didn't notice your back?" Hana pouted. "Luckily I came just in time, okay. Consider this a payback on what you did when we were younger."

 _Ah...another nostalgia...Back Then...Back There..._

"You listening?"

"Yeah...yeah...I got you. We should go to Takamatsu Castle then." Nagachika said. "Can't have Muneharu wait too long."

Hana nodded, and we made our way towards Takamatsu Castle, painlessly and uneventfully, _or that's what I think_

"Grasp!"

"Ouch, what's this for?" I asked as Hana suddenly grabbed my right arm.

"You've caused me to worry too much, so in order for me not to lose you again, I suppose I won't let you go at all."

 _Jeez...such a clingy girl_

"I can't help it! A few moments I left you and you were suddenly be in trouble like that."

"Look who's talking..." I thought.

* * *

-Takakage's PoV-

This Oda Forces could prove to be extremely strong. But to attack a bit recklessly like this? Is my assumption proved to be correct.

"So you do come." A very deep voice reached my ears. I don't need to think of whose sound is that, it's clearly obvious it belongs to a certain pale-skinned strategist.

"Kanbei- _dono_." I said, mocked a little surprise. I did come nearing their camp to meet him, anyway. "Is it just me, or am I sensing that everything seems a bit rushed?"

Kanbei said nothing, slowly he began to smirk. "So you did notice after all."

 _I know right_

"So, I bet something is happening between your ranks, or am I missing something?"

"Well, maybe you should also be ready for that something." Kanbei said. "The world smiles upon Hideyoshi right now."

* * *

-Flashback-

-3rd person PoV-

"Hideyoshi- _sama_! I've got news." A messenger said to Hideyoshi.

"What, is that regarding our reinforcements?"

"No, much more than that." The messenger said. "Mitsuhide has rebelled in Honnōji! Lord Nobunaga was betrayed and the castle was now in flames."

It gave everyone in the camp a handful of surprise.

"W...WHAT?" Hideyoshi was fully shocked, and also his protégés.

"The fate smiles upon you." Kanbei said unemotionally, bringing Hideyoshi to rage. "KANBEI!"

"You know what to do, right?"

It didn't need a genius to know what to do against this unexpected rebellion, only one word: Avenge. But something concerns Hideyoshi on the retreat

"Won't the Mōri give chase?"

"They won't. Because they, more specifically he, will want to bear witness to an end of an era."

"Eh?"

"That's how a man named Takakage Kobayakawa is."

"Takakage of the Mōri...So he anticipated this?" Hideyoshi asked, before turning back to his soldiers

Hideyoshi thought for a moment, and quickly asked his forces to withdraw. "We must fall back! Lord Nobunaga must be avenged!"

Many of Hideyoshi's soldiers began to pack up, ready to go back. While he himself approached his strategist.

"So now, what should we do with the Mōri now?" Hideyoshi asked

"I suggest, that you send some of your protégés to begin a negotiation. I think that Kimura guy can also participate since he's also known for his negotiation skills, and moreover he was quite a good rival for Takakage's son-in-law, which I bet in the future they could be friends."

"Hm...I understand." Hideyoshi said. "In that case, I'll send Ishida, Ōtani and Kimura for the negotiation."

-End Flashback-

* * *

"So, you decided to initiate a peace negotiation with us?" Takakage asked.

"I saw that we have no choice. Words will quickly spread fast and I bet we don't have much time before the actual cause will reach your ears." Kanbei replied. "My lord will send three of his young protégés for the negotiation.

"In that case, I'll accept. By tonight, your negotiators should be arrived at the Mōri main camp, and we'll discuss everything there." Takakage offered.

"Very well."

"Anyway, you seemed so sure that I won't harm them, didn't you? It's not impossible for me to do anything to them, you know?" Takakage asked.

"And I really believe that you won't do that." Kanbei calmly replied. "You always tried to seek peace for the people. So the same people shouldn't be foolish enough to start another one by ripping our trust."

"Okay, I see your point. Call your protégés to be ready at the Mōri camp by tonight. I'll be leaving." Takakage said as he bowed to leave the area.

* * *

-Nighttime Timeskip-

"So, according to our terms." Mitsunari said. "The Mōri has 10 provinces. 5 of them should be given to the Oda, or in this case, to Lord Hideyoshi." Mitsunari said. "Following that, the Mōri will be allies with Oda, and will not attack us on any occasions."

Mitsunari, Yoshitsugu and Aki are currently on Mōri Main Camp for negotiation. Takakage, Munekatsu and Nagachika was also visible inside the camp as the Mōri negotiators.

"Hmm, that's quite a demand. I suggest you don't think I will just go with that demand, do you?"

Several Mōri spearmen rushed and pointed their spear towards the three young protégé.

"You could kill me if you want. But, do not harm these two people." Aki suddenly shouted. "They're just chosen to accompany me for this negotiation, and their lives meant nothing beneficial to you."

 _I can't believe I had just protected this Ishida guy. Guess he owe me for this. Yoshitsugu, though, was worth protecting._

"So, you still thought of your friend on the times like this?" Takakage chuckled. "You reminded me of Nagachika, really."

Nagachika just blushed furiously, knowing that Takakage referred to the certain experience in Tatarahama.

"Very well." Takakage said, raising his hand to give a signal for the spearmen to hold back. "I shall accept your terms."

And with that, the negotiation ends with Mōri becoming ally to the Oda, or Hashiba, for this case, and Hideyoshi began retreating and preparing a showdown at Yamazaki.

Takakage, watching their retreat, shot a serious determined glare.

"It all begins now."

* * *

-Outside the camp-

"Nagachika, so how's the negotiation?" Hana asked her husband as he finished taking part of the negotiation.

"It's going fine. Although we lost some of our lands, we're now becoming ally to them and we're not in danger from the Oda anymore." Nagachika said.

"Oh, very good then."

The two began to walk to fetch their horses. However, Hana looked that Nagachika's face was filled with shades of red.

"Nagachika, _daijobu-desuka_?"

" _H...Hai_ "

"Then, why is your face red?" Hana asked.

Nagachika stammered all the way, the shades became redder as he was busted. "No, I was just thinking of something."

"What is it?"

"Uh, you remember back then, while we're at Tatarahama, where you fell into that horrible ambush and I somehow decided to rescue you instead of protecting the castle, which resulted in our castle's seizure?"

"Oh, very." Hana chuckled. "If you're not doing that, I'll probably have departed and will never see you again. And Tadayasu and Natsuka won't be born. Thank you, my eternal guardian."

"Ah, you're welcome, at least my decision is not regrettable. It's okay to lose that castle as long as I could save my angel, couldn't I?"

"Nagachika, that's embarrassing!" Hana blushed as she began to lightly smack her husband on her shoulder again.

"I know right?"

* * *

 **A/N: There we go! And with this chapter finished, I will now officially started the two-month day off from fanfiction writing. But hey, don't get it wrong. I'll still be continuing this story when I have the time or after the project finishes at the early August. And moreover, read carefully on the previous sentence that the day off applies on writing only, so I'll still be reading fanfiction while I'm on project, maybe at my spare time on the project area.**

 **The next chapter should be a filler first, because I don't like to rush too much on battles. If I was determined enough, I'll let this story continue until Sekigahara or even Ōsaka (but too bad Hana will have already died by the time the Ōsaka Campaign started), and it might count until 30-40 chapters, which was unexpected for this beginner writer to finish. But I'll be finishing it no matter what.**

 **Thank you for everyone which have enjoyed this story until now, especially my great friends RosyMiranto18 and Scarlet 'n Blossom who had supported me so much until now. The next chapter will come out at August after the story ends, so I hope y'all could be patient.**

 **Oh, and actually, for the next August, I'll be starting a FFF (Future Family Fiction) project on one of the more mature animes that had corrupted my brain: To Love-Ru, so expect that my style of writing might suddenly change (like the ones above. Thanks to To Love-Ru that I started to use some Japanese exclamations while I'm dreadful on Japanese).**

 **Please R &R!**


	18. Moment of Serenity

**A/N: Okay, It turns out that I have enough time for another chapter on my project area. Looks like my modem is working and my phone got quite an acceptable signal, and because of Lebaran (I don't know if its called Eid'l Fitr or Eid Mubarak, since I didn't really know it in English), the program was quite delayed until July, so I've got time for posting this!**

 **Let's reply some reviews:**

 **RosyMiranto18:**

 **Whoops, that's too quick to go to Komaki-Nagakute right now, at least I'm going to post it the next two chapters probably, because eventually this Nomi family must've met Suzu and Natsuko first before they did battle, and speaking of which, the Conquest of Odawara with this setting might be quite a challenge, I've got a little idea if the Conquest could be altered to kind of negotiative campaigns, but I'll be thinking about it in the future.**

 **And well, I did make a mistake, I knew about Nijō Castle, but I accidentally refer the castle to Honnōji. I'm going to fix that. Thank you for the shoot out!**

 **Eh, please forgive me if Aki and Natsuko was going to be OOC, and Natsuko looked quite a selfless sister to her older brother.**

 **Thanks for the review!**

 **Scarlet 'n Blossom**

 **Hana : Of course, I treasured Nagachika so much that I don't wanna lose him! So I must be protective sometimes, you know?**

 **HSK17: Oh, and Suzu, welcome to my fic. Starting from this chapter, you might appear at this story. I hope I did catch your personality quite well.**

 **Thanks for the review!**

 **Alright, onto the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belong to KOEI, Aki Kimura and Natsuko Kimura belong to RosyMiranto18, Suzu Shiraishi belong to Scarlet 'n Blossom, I only own my OCs and the dreadful plot**

Chapter 18- Moments of Serenity

* * *

Aki, 1583

-Hana's PoV-

It's been a while since the Siege of Takamatsu ended with an unexpected result, although we did lose a hefty lot of our land, we managed to seal the deal so the forces of Oda didn't invade us anymore.

The forces of Oda? Wait a minute? Isn't that term already deteriorated? News travels fast and I soon know that the greatest threat to Mōri, Nobunaga Oda himself, had been betrayed and slain by his own retainer, I...I forgot his name, Akichi? Aichi? Akechi? Oh yes, Akechi. Mitsuhide Akechi, as his complete name.

So that powerful demon like him can actually be taken down by a betrayal? Well, no wonder, because his followers are so many that the chance for treason is so big.

So, this is what father meant before. A stack of hay on a table, the hay becomes too much and the table could topple off, unable to contain much longer.

 _Sassuga Otou-sama!_ He's almost look like a future reader. But well, all of his claims could be proven logically, yeah, so, no magic involved.

Okay, so with Nobunaga gone for, the forces was now under either Mitsuhide or Hideyoshi, but again, news travels fast and Mitsuhide was then avenged and besieged by Hideyoshi, in which he died as a fugitive, and Nobunaga's land was now usurped by Hideyoshi, who named himself his successor.

But actually, not all warriors of Oda approved this, and the renowned devil Shibata, or Katsuie Shibata also raised an army against Hideyoshi, trying to put Nobunaga's son as Nobunaga's successor, and there goes another battle in the lands of Shizugatake.

Well, how can I know all of this? Did I even raise an army and fight in the battle? Well, the answer came from my own dearly husband, Nagachika.

After the siege of Takamatsu ended, Nagachika had recently become rivals with a young warrior from Hideyoshi's forces with the name of Aki Kimura, but at the same time, they shared a bond of friendship, especially after we, the Mōri forces, had agreed on peace terms and allied with Hideyoshi. Being under Hideyoshi at that time, the Shikoku genius, that's his title according to my husband, Aki was also deployed to fight in the battle of Shizugatake. Aki managed to send a letter to Nagachika about his involvement in Shizugatake. Not that I mind, but well, the Mōri decided to sit out on this battle because we're preparing on other issues, especially regarding our future alliances with Hideyoshi. the Shizugatake Battle however was not in our list.

"Good Morning, mother!" suddenly I hear a boy's sound approaching me. My senses are still plausible enough to know the source of this sound.

"Morning, Tadayasu. Have you eaten your breakfast yet?" I greeted my son back.

"I sure have."

My little Tadayasu Nomi was now nearing 11 years old. It won't be long before he reached the adult phase. He surely have grown into a lovely boy, but somehow he is typically one of a strength-type boy. He usually liked to help our house chores, but especially the hard ones like moving furnitures, picking off grass and chop off old trees. Well, he surely is one strong boy, isn't he?

Well, he DOES have his own soft side, anyway, and that includes taking care of plants in the castle, and being one loving brother to my daughter, Natsuka Nomi.

Speaking of brother,

I wonder how it is like to have a blood-related brother or sister. Is it fascinating? Or is it terrifying? I wonder if I had one. I've asked my mother, Lady Toida about siblings, but she said that I have none, and so I am being used to live without siblings.

But it did change, alas not what I expected. Yes I DO have a brother now, but we're not blood-related, and moreover, we're in a very long age difference, he was even only five, I repeat, FIVE years older than my son! And his level should have been above me by one!

Should I explain?

Oh well, I, starting from a few years back, had a younger stepbrother. His name was none other than Hidekane Kobayakawa, which was adopted by my father. But what makes this quite funny, is that, Hidekane is actually my father's younger half-brother! So he actually is my uncle, yes, UNCLE! Oh Kami, how to explain this kind of thing.

Ah, aside from my doubts, 16-year-old Hidekane was one soft and well-mannered man, and was also loyal to his father, or his half-brother looking back at the past. We barely interacted, but well, I saw great potential in him.

Anyway, Back to the current time.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I asked. Not I didn't want him to be here, but I'm just curious. Anyway, I'm just looking at the sea like what my father like to do almost everytime he's not busy.

"Father and Tsuka- _san_ are looking for you."

Nagachika? Is something really the matter? I better check up on him.

* * *

-In Nagachika's room-

-Nagachika's PoV-

It's been a while since I returned back from battle, and I could enjoy myself with my lovely wife and children.

I know it's not a time of peace. My recent friend and rival proved that. While we're...like...enjoying a moment of peace, that youngster was summoned and was asked to fight alongside Hideyoshi.

Surely, as an ally, I should have readied my weapon and take onto the battlefield. But our master, my father-in-law objected against it. I wanted to ask why, but I didn't think I should because I know it's for something good. Well, who knows what in that genius' mind, but I know it's for the sake of Mōri and for peace.

So the Mōri did sit out of battle, and we enjoyed a brief time of peace, which brought glee for a lot of Mōri officers.

Me myself also took this "day off from the battlefield", and decided to take a rest. Apparently since we had no such tasks, we could do whatever we wanted. I myself just take some rest while Hana went out, probably to do some lame ol' routines like sitting under a tree or looking off the shore.

Usually, she looked east, since the beautiful view could be seen at that direction.

Ironically, that direction was also the direction of Kantō , where she was born and bred for a few years before joining her father here.

Speaking of which, is Hayakawa- _dono_ alright? Will they ever reunite? And should I tell Hana about this mega secret which will effect her greatly?

A part of me really wanted to say yes and I should tell her before it's too late. But...I don't think it's really the perfect time.

"No, Tsuka, don't touch that!" I shouted as my little daughter was trying to take a hold on my bow.

"That's what you get from stashing your weapon on that low rack. You should put it somewhere else." Suddenly a voice was heard from behind.

"Hana, what are you doing here?" I asked, a little confused.

"Huh, didn't you want to see me?" she retorted with also another confusion

"I didn't..."

"But, Tadayasu said that you wanted to talk about something."

 _Eh? But I didn't ask him to bring Hana here, well, except..._

Both of us turned to see Tadayasu in a plain innocent face entering our room. Being tricked with such offer made us glare at our oldest child, which mentally shook him.

"Eh, is something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, look who's going to play dumb here." Nagachika smirked. "You really don't know if something is wrong?"

Tadayasu gasped, but instead of showing fear, his face showed like an amused expression.

"Okay, okay, you got me, father." Tadayasu confessed.

"Now, you know that lying isn't good. So why did you do this? And I hope you have a satisfying answer for both of us!" I remarked.

"Eh, I really don't have any other idea to gather up our family except by this." Tadayasu said, making us surprised. "Both father and mother had gone off for battle for so long, leaving me and Tsuka back here. You know that we were always worried for father's and mother's safety everytime both of you went off for battle, praying that both of you made it out alive. But now, there's no battle going on which involves us, so I guess we could...at least...err...spend our time together? We missed both of you, really. Can I...I mean...we...spend this moment together, and cherish it for our lives? Pleeease?"

Okay, I definitely did not expect that from a 10-year-old boy who is my son. I guess he had matured enough for this kind of act?

Those words, yes, it really reflects our stats right now; Hana and I had always gone for battle and always asked Lady Toida to take care of them. It almost seems like we have neglected our duties as parents for both of our children. We always put peace above everything, but we never considered peace for our own family.

We can act so lovey-dovey each other, but it means nothing if we didn't include our children as well. We always considered this because we have no time for our children because of this.

But now, we've got a moment of peace. This is very temporary, but at least, we have enough time to spend with our family.

 _And I failed to see that_

"Well, I really must consider this." Hana said. "Why don't we go take a walk around the garden or something like that?"

"Actually, I have asked Grandma and Auntie Gōryu to pack some food and tea. So I prefer a picnic under a Sakura tree. Is it possible?"

* * *

-Hana's PoV-

Now this creeped me out. I really can't believe how my innocent little son, which is now only 10 years old, was transforming into a tactical mastermind of quite an unexpected plan. How can he concoct a plan like this? Did father eventually teach him about battle strategies? But I don't think he did...

"So, how was it, Mom, Dad?" Tadayasu asked again.

"Uhh, I guess we can." I said. _There's no way I can refuse such a beautiful plan concocted by my own son._

"You mean it? Alright!" Tadayasu cheered as he went straight into the castle. "Let me take the picnic basket from Grandma."

"Actually, let me take it for you. The stuffs are probably too heavy for you to bring, especially if it includes the food for four of us." Hana offered. "You, in the meantime, could find a good place and sit with your father and sister."

"Well, as much as I wanted to help mother, I think I'll go with mother's offer." Tadayasu said as he went with Nagachika and Natsuka to find a good spot on the garden.

* * *

-Shizugatake, 1583-

-Aki's PoV-

Sigh...

Lord Hideyoshi was so eager to avenge Lord Nobunaga. And I personally don't know why it comes into this. Judging from his behaviour, I guess he wanted to succeed the "domination" preceded by Nobunaga, and decided to take as much territory as he could.

I definitely think this. I know his loyalty to Nobukatsu Oda was not unintentional.

"Slash!"

Whoops! Didn't see that coming...

" _Onii-san!_ " a very familiar voice was heard at my back. Of course I knew that this sound belongs to my hyperactive little sister.

I saw her, her face looked somewhat exhausted but worried

 _She's my only sister! Of course I instantly knew her voice. Besides, who other people could call me as informal as "Onii-san" or sometimes "Onii-chan"?_

"Natsuko, why are you here? Shouldn't you on the camp?"

"Apparently Suzu- _chan_ managed to go back for some time before she go away again, and she wanted me to bring news to Takatora- _san_ about what she found. Oh, and is your arm okay?" Natsuko asked in worry.

"Don't worry, my arm's fine. As for Takatora..."

"I'm here. And you better have a reason on why you neglected your focus on this battle, Kimura." The cold-so-ever retainer of Hidenaga Hashiba retorted as he had his name heard. "And why is your sister here? Shouldn't she be going with Suzu or stayed at the camp?"

"What? You asked her to follow Suzu- _dono_? Are you crazy? You and I know about the secret mission she decided to take, and both of us know this is dangerous, right?"

"You need to calm down and let me explain." The retainer known as Takatora Tōdō retorted angrily. "I didn't ask her to follow Suzu directly. I only wanted her to bring any news regarding her, okay? I know you treasured your sister so much, okay? And I respected that!"

"And I know you loved your little white hare that you always tried to persuade everyone to protect her. Apart from that, okay fine!"

"Alright then." Takatora said, "So, Natsuko, what did Suzu want you to tell me?"

"Uh, well, she said that she had seen Lady Oichi just fine at Kitanoshō Castle, and now she decided to make peace with her and discuss about something."

"Is that all?" Takatora asked, replied by a nod from the pink/magenta haired girl. "Okay, you should go back to the main camp before your overprotective brother began to go crazy."

"Oh, I heard that!" Aki retorted, shoving a death glare towards the icy retainer.

"Forget it, Kimura. You better go out there and focus on the battle."

* * *

Meanwhile near Kitanoshō Castle, a young woman, probably at her twenties, with moderate-length straight silvery-white hair, red eyes, and a slim figure ran with her bladed boots towards Kitanoshō Castle, while at the same time tried to keep herself hidden. On her neck hungs a bell-shaped charm. Her face looked like a mixture of worry, concern and sadness.

"Oichi- _sama_ , please...I don't want Takatora- _sama_ to suffer too much." She thought while on the way.

* * *

-Back to the Battlefield-

"Huff, that Takatora- _san_ , so frightening and cold." Natsuko pouted. "Anyway, can I see your wound, _Onii-san_?"

"You don't have to worry about that, Natsuko." Aki replied calmly.

"But, I don't want to see _Onii-san_ being hurt." Natsuko said as she lifted her brother's arm and a bit forcefully wrapped a bandage on the wound.

Aki just sighed.

"Well, this is the much trouble I faced. I wonder how did you do on your temporary peace time these days, Nagachika- _dono_."

* * *

-Aki, 1583-

-Nagachika's PoV-

This boy, really, how can he be this clever and tactical?

"Uh, what are you thinking about, father?" Tadayasu asked.

"N...Nothing..."

"Well, I wanted to discuss something while mother's away, can I?" _Okay this was also something I didn't expect from him right now._

"Well, what do you want to discuss with me?"

 _Crap, I hope he didn't want to talk about Hana's family._

"Before, when I talked with Grandma about this picnic plan, Grandma told me something. Something regarding mother, or something around that."

 _Seems it's going to THAT way_

"Grandma says that she was so envious, I asked why and she said she wanted to spend her time on something like this too, but she never got any chance."

 _Oh, probably not_

"Hey, _onii-chan_ , father, did you know that mother was a very special person here?" Natsuka suddenly complied.

"Eh, why so sudden, Tsuka-chan?"

"It's just Grandma's term when I asked about something mother has."

"Hm?" Now I was getting confused. "What are you asking about to Grandma?"

"I asked about mother's beautiful blue eyes. It was very beautiful, I wish I had one like that. But then I saw that only mom has it here in the house. So I asked Grandma and she said that it was a gift from heaven for being a good girl."

 _HOLY...! How can it suddenly go this way?_

"So I always tried to be a good girl. But why can't I get that beautiful eyes?"

 _Crap! With Tadayasu's Intelligence, don't tell me..._

"What are you three talking about?" Suddenly Hana appeared with a picnic basket on her hand.

"N...Nothing, only a few chats here and there..." Nagachika replied.

"We're talking about Mother's beautiful eyes. I envy you, Mom! I wanted to have eyes like that."

 _Natsuka, No!_

"Eh, my eyes?"

"You know what, we can worry about that later and lt's just dig our basket in!" Nagachika said to the family.

And so our family began our peaceful picnic with the family, unaware with the sudden thoughts by my own son.

"Is father hiding something?"

* * *

 **What the hell is wrong with my head? Why does it turn out to be this freaking lousy chapter? But well, I spend most of my nights for this, and I only have two more weeks before the real busy project starts effectively. And starting from next chapter, this story will cross a bit with Bell Of The White Hare by Scarlet 'n Blossom.**

 **Please R &R!**


	19. Meeting New Friends

**A/N: Back with another chapter! Seriously I still have too much spare time, and for all of you Moslem Indonesians, I'd like to say "Selamat Hari Lebaran! Minal Aidin wal Faidzin! Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin!"**

 **Okay, so this chapter will cross a bit with one of the chapters of Scarlet 'n Blossom's "Bell of the White Hare" (I forgot which chapter, but it must be the one where Hana and Nagachika became Mōri's representative for Hideyoshi.)**

 **Before the chapter, I want to say sorry because I won't be replying last chap's reviews since I'm overly tired, but I'll be replying them on the next chapter together with this chap's reviews.**

 **Disclaimer could be seen at the previous chapter**

 **Okay then, onward to the chapter!**

Chapter 19: Meeting New Friends

* * *

(Aki, 1584)

-Nagachika's PoV-

One year had passed since our family decided to reunite and enjoy some peaceful time. As a warrior, I must've been bored of not going onto battles, but with the existence of Hana, my children Tadayasu and Natsuka, and our big family, then I won't regret this time of peace.

Even if I have some regrets, that would be the regret of not using the time properly, since this time, that short time of peace would've been ending quickly. News quickly spread throughout the nation that Hideyoshi had won the battle at Shizugatake, and that devil Katsuie Shibata decided to commit _seppuku_ and burned himself and his wife on his castle of Kitanoshō.

Well, Kimura- _san_ , congratulations on your victory.

Recently, a letter...correction...two letters had arrived here in Aki. One was addressed for our lord Terumoto Mōri, and the sender was written none other than Hideyoshi Hashiba. Well, I shouldn't have known what's inside the letter since I have no right to open it. However, the second letter might explain what's inside the first one.

The second letter was addressed to me, and of course, the sender is none other than my friend (and rival) Aki Kimura (again). Not that I don't like it, but he had sent too many letters for me, probably he was really looking forward to meet us? Maybe he always tried to find me as soon as possible and finally we can have our spar.

I'm his rival, after all.

Okay, but I shouldn't let this letter be unread, because apparently, despite looking quite unimportant, this letter might be a spoiler for the first letter sent to Terumoto- _sama_.

 _To : Nagachika Nomi of the Mōri forces,_

 _If you are reading this letter then you might know about what our lord are planning to do with your lord._

 _Apparently something happened between Nobukatsu Oda, the son of the deceased great daimyō, and Lord Hideyoshi. It seems that Nobukatsu had made quite a decision that caused a loss in our forcem from what I heard, three of our retainers, which was actually also Nobukatsu's own retainers, were executed by the said Oda, and finally our lord made a rash decision to pry all connections to Nobukatsu. As a result, Nobukatsu "ran away", seeking protection from the famous lord Ieyasu the famous names and big alliances of our lord Hideyoshi and Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa, I could bet that the two lords will soon clash against each other._

 _Your lord's decision to let us go back from Takamatsu has earned a good reputation as an ally of our lord. So the very best case of Lord Hideyoshi is that someone in your army might've been asked as representative to help us battling against Lord Ieyasu._

 _Personally, I would like to ask you if you could be the representative, so that we could have another spar. Although, I can't ensure when since I've been tasked for another negotiation. Maybe, if possible, we could meet on our way? But that's a big if._

 _Anyway, I've been looking forward for our battles together as an ally._

 _Regards_

 _Aki Kimura_

 _(P.S: If you become the representative, I hope you can also befriend my sister, Natsuko Kimura and my good friends Suzu Shiraishi and Takatora Tōdō, oh, and probably Yoshitsugu Ōtani as well)_

"Hmm..." I thought. This is way beyond a spoiler. This is a dangerous act by Aki. Imagine if this letter went onto the wrong hands!

But luckily, it didn't.

Okay, so Hideyoshi wanted us to help on his campaign against Tokugawa? Well, not a bad thing, anyway, since now we're allies.

Wait a second...Tokugawa?

If I'm not mistaken, the last time I've heard about my mother-in-law is that she ran away onto the Tokugawa's lands, and so she must've joined the Tokugawa Army.

 _Which means, we might meet as enemies._

For me, this might only affect a little. But, _this will affect Hana humongously._ Hana's her birth daughter after all.

If any of those two falls, I will never forgive myself.

I must find a way!

Just as I finished thinking, one of my cousins approached me.

"Nagachika- _san_ , uncle Terumoto asked you and Hana to come onto our meeting room."

"Alright, I'm going." I replied.

"Wait, Hana- _dono_ 's not with you? Where is she?"

"Um...knowing her, she probably trained on the training field again, and probably with your sister too."

"Seriously?" he sighed and frowned. "My sister was always too eager to go to battle, despite her drawback...I don't know what's in that mute's mind."

"Hiroie- _san_! Be nice to your sister! Knowing her, she seemed to have just enough determination supporting her decisions. Don't underestimate her because she's mute, okay?"

"Well, if you should know, that's probably the 107th time you had said the same thing, EXACTLY the same."

"And with those 107 times of the same speech, you still underestimate her in the EXACTLY same way. Please, give her some chance, Hiroie- _san_."

"Okay, okay. I'm just kidding, anyway." Hiroie- _san_ laughed. "Then, you won't mind accompanying me calling your wife over, won't you?"

"I won't."

* * *

-On the Training Ground-

-Hana's PoV-

"Ugh, you're getting stronger every day, Chie." I said to my sparring partner which is actually my cousin."

" _T...Thank You..._ " Chie gestured, panting heavily as she held the Phoenix sword. " _You're getting stronger yourself._ "

"Well, thanks to the past battles. But for ones who haven't got into battle, you're much more improving than me."

" _You flatter me too much, Hana-dono._ "

"I've told you many times, just Hana is okay."

" _We'll, old habits never die down._ " Chie chuckled, before they noticed two men approaching us.

"Nagachika? Hiroie- _san_?"

"Terumoto- _sama_ asked you to come onto the meeting room." Hiroie said. "Follow us!"

"Alright." I replied, before realizing something. "Wait, how about Chie?"

I expected Hiroie to answer something, but it seems that _someone_ decided to intrude.

"Well, why doesn't she join us too?"

"Ehh?" Hiroie suddenly went shocked.

"What's wrong, Hiroie?" I asked, only to be returned by a somehow annoying short response.

"Nothing."

* * *

-Mōri Forces' Meeting Room-

-3rd person's PoV-

Nagachika, Hana, Chie and Hiroie eventually made their way into the meeting room. Inside, Terumoto Mōri, the commander of Mōri forces, along with the strategist Takakage Kobayakawa are waiting.

"Thank you for coming here, Nagachika- _dono_ , Shinhana- _dono_." Terumoto said as we bowed in front of him.

"I'm calling both of you in regards to a letter sent by Hideyoshi Hashiba." Terumoto said.

Hana looked quite surprised. But, maybe the same didn't apply to Nagachika as he looked calm, seemed like he ad already known the purpose he was sent there. However, he didn't miss the worried look on the certain strategist, and of course, he knew exactly why.

"So, apparently Hideyoshi Hashiba managed to create a strong army and decided to reach unification himself. But one big threat posed in front of him, and this threat is not to be underestimated."

"Tokugawa Army." Nagachika suddenly blurted out, earning a surprised look from everyone there.

"How do you know?" Terumoto said.

"As I thought." Takakage suddenly speak up. "I bet you have someone inside Hideyoshi's Army who brought you news. And, may I ask about this guy?"

"Nagachika, you don't want to be charged for secret-contacting that may lead to treason, do you?" Terumoto asked with a glare.

"Are you crazy, of course Nagachika won't do that!" Hana exclaimed, supporting her husband.

Nagachika's face showed a bit fear, but apparently he composed himself and began explaining.

"Very well. I DO have a contact inside Hideyoshi's Army, but that's only since we allied ourselves with Hideyoshi. I swear that when we are fighting against Oda, he and I are still enemies."

"Really? And care to explain who us this guy, then?" Terumoto asked.

"Excuse me..." Suddenly an older voice could be heard on the door. The six turned to see Munekatsu entering the room.

"Sorry, Munekatsu- _sama_ , but we're on a meeting." Terumoto said.

"Wait a minute, Terumoto." Takakage said, "Maybe he could help Nagachika explain about all of this suspicions."

"Eh, what do you mean?" Munekatsu asked.

"Okay, Munekatsu, did you know that your son has a secret contact within Hideyoshi's forces?"

"Father, Takakage- _sama_ 's asking about Kimura." Nagachika intruded, earning a knowing look from his father.

"Kimura?"

"Oh, I see, Aki Kimura, wasn't it?" Munekatsu said, earning a nod from Nagachika and a "I want to know more" look from Takakage.

"Aki Kimura was a young warrior from Hideyoshi's forces. We met once in Iyō, and once in Takamatsu." Munekatsu said. "That youngster was very rash but energetic. From what I saw myself, he saw Nagachika as his rival, and always tried to surpass him. But eventually he never surpassed Nagachika even after our last meeting in Takamatsu."

"So, how can you be so sure that this is not going to lead into a treason?" Terumoto asked. Takakage, however, had a change of heart, probably because he found something out.

"Well, maybe I see your point, Nagachika. If what your father said was right, and the fact that both of you are enemies on our last battle at Takamatsu, then there's a very high possibility that you became friends after we allied ourselves, because if the contrary happens, we should've been betrayed at Takamatsu." Takakage said, now accepting the truth. "Sorry for accusing you like that."

"It's okay, Takakage- _sama_. Maybe I should tell you next time if I had new friends from other forces' alike." Nagachika replied.

"Okay, now, back to the topic." Terumoto said. "So, I bet Nagachika had already known about the letter, no?"

Nagachika nodded.

"Good, because we're going to send you and Hana- _dono_ as our representative. And since you're being a good friend with this Kimura guy from Hideyoshi's forces, I guess it could be an extra point for our credibility on the forces." Terumoto continued.

The couple nodded, but it seems that a certain strategist had another idea.

"I foresee this will take quite long time, and Mōri will eventually be joining on this long-time alliance. In that case, I also want to deploy Chie as our representative as well."

"Eh?" Terumoto looked surprised. "Why?"

"She's been improving quite fast recently." Takakage said. "If I'm not mistaken, whichever side won, either Hideyoshi- _sama_ or Ieyasu- _sama_ , they will eventually tried to reach unification, and this will cause numerous battles. So, since Chie had almost no experience on battles, I think she should experience some battles first so she can release her full momentum on latter battles." Takakage said.

"In that case, I guess it can't be helped." Terumoto asked. "I'll also assign Chie Kikkawa as our third representative. Your departure will be tomorrow. I have high hopes on you, do the best for the Mōri."

" _Hai!_ " Hana and Nagachika exclaimed, along with a bow, while Chie just bowed.

"Okay, all of you, dismissed."

"Actually, Nagachika, could I talk to you for a moment? The others, especially Hana, could go somewhere else." Takakage requested.

Nagachika instantly knew his father-in-law's intention, and asked his wife to wait outside. After a short time, it's only Takakage, Terumoto and Nagachika inside the room.

"So, I'm really sure you know my intention on this talk?"

"Yes, I know. Don't worry, Takakage- _sama_ , I will do my best to reunite both of them without too much resistance."

"Good" Takakage said. "But, since you're also going to meet this Kimura guy and the others, don't let them know also until the time is right. Their bonds with you and Hana will depend on this secret too, so please, keep this away from them."

Nagachika just nodded, before being dismissed.

* * *

-Nagachika and Hana's Room-

"So, I guess, you're going to go onto battle again?" Tadayasu asked.

"Yes, I'm really sorry, Tadayasu. I really wanted to spend more time with you and Tsuka, but again, our quest to achieve peace had taken another step." Nagachika said.

"Don't worry, when the time of peace comes, we will always spend our times with you. You don't have to be sad." Hana said, trying to comfort her son.

"Don't worry, Mom, Dad. At least we have enjoyed our time for once, I will always cherish it as our _Shiawase no shunkan_. Now, promise us that this won't be our last time together. Tsuka and I will always wait for your return home." Tadayasu said

Both parents couldn't help but had their tears falling as they had a big family hug.

" _Oh, how this boy really was like his grandfather._ " Hana thought.

* * *

-Timeskip to the journey-

Nagachika, Hana and Chie was mounting their horse and strolled slowly with the direction of Osaka. They currently are only a quarter-long left from their direction, and decided to take a rest.

"Fyuh, that was really exhausting. I wonder how long this journey is." Hana asked.

"According to the map given by Takakage- _sama_ , we're just a few hours away from our destination, so maybe after we took a little rest, we could made it by sundown." Nagachika said.

"Oh, that's great." Hana said, before turning to her cousin, which is silent and doing nothing at that time. "Hey, Chie, don't you have anything to say?"

Chie just shook her head.

"Oh well, never mind." Hana said, before she noticed someone was going on their direction. "Hey, who's there?"

Nagachika and Chie looked at the same direction as Hana, and instantly recognized a young man going on their opposite direction. Chie and Hana immediately took their weapons out, while Nagachika just stayed calm.

"Nagachika, what are you doing?"

"Save your weapons, Hana, Chie." Nagachika said, before approaching the man. "Fancy seeing you again, Aki Kimura."

Having his name called, Aki stopped and got off his horse, politely returning the greetings by the older warrior.

"Nagachika- _dono_." Aki said. "I knew it, I knew you're the representative from the Mōri for us. Oh, and who are these two ladies?"

"Okay, chill out, Kimura- _san_." Nagachika said. "Allow me to introduce you to these ladies. The older one is Shinhana Kobayakawa, my wife."

"You can call me Hana, Kimura- _san_ " Hana interjected for a while. "It's an honor to meet the genius of Shikoku in the flesh."

"The honor is all mine." Aki replied. "And the other lady?"

"This lady here is my cousin, Chie Kikkawa." Hana replied.

Chie got off her horse and bowed silently, earning a little confusion from the young warrior. "She surely is a quiet lady, isn't she?"

"Well, she can't be blamed. She's mute, so you probably won't ever hear her voice." Nagachika said.

"Hey, don't say something like that!" Hana said. "Despite her muteness, she can interact with you using sign languages, and she had an exceptional skill on combat to balance her disability."

"Oh, nice to meet you, Chie- _dono_." Aki said. "By the way, I should continue my journey. I have not much time before I reached my destination.

"Journey, where are you going, Kimura- _san_?" Nagachika asked.

"Please, you all can just call me by Aki." Aki replied. "And about the journey, actually I was asked by Lord Hideyoshi to initiate a negotiation with a man named Motochika Chōsokabe from the Shikoku Islands.

"Chōsokabe? Isn't he the one we met at Iyō?" Nagachika asked.

"Yes, that one, and eventually I was asked if we can ally ourselves also with the Chōsokabe. The success on this negotiation will make the unification planned by Lord Hideyoshi take another step forward without any bloodshed." Aki explained. "Well, seems like I should leave. Oh, before that, here's some food for your journey."

Aki gave them a box filled with a kind of cooking.

"Hmm...what's this?" Nagachika asked.

"It's stir-fried tofu with Teriyaki sauce. Trust me, this is very tasty." Aki said.

"Do we really have to accept this?" Hana asked.

"Don't worry, I really made it for you all, please don't hesitate."

"In that case, _Arigatō Gozaimasu,_ Aki- _san_ , and I hope you also had safe journey." Nagachika said.

"Alright, see you next time, and I will wait for the day when we could spar each other." Aki said with a smirk.

"We'll see about that."

And with that, Aki continued his journey to the Shikoku Islands, and the Mōri group just ate the food given to them since apparently they are all hungry.

"Hey, he's right, this is delicious." Hana said, getting also a nod of approval by Chie.

"Well, seems like they've got a good cook outta there in Ōsaka." Nagachika replied as they continued eating.

After the food ran out, the three continued their journey towards Ōsaka.

* * *

4-6 hours later

Nagachika, Hana and Chie arrived at Ōsaka. Near the gate was a woman on her early twenties. She had a medium-length straight silvery hair, red eyes, soft bright skin, lanky built and stood at probably 5'2". She wore a hooded dress, but with the hood now at her back. She also wore shoes, but Nagachika knew that the shoes aren't the ordinary ones, instead there's a hole at their back, probably where blades came out. A bell-shaped charm was also visible on her. The woman, recognizing the Mōri crest and banner on the three warriors, immediately welcomed them and bowed in front of them.

"Greetings. You all must've been the representatives from the Mōri. I'm Suzu Tōdō, a pleasure to meet you all."

'Suzu Tōdō, but Aki's letter said that her name is Suzu Shiraishi...well, but there's also guy named Takatora Tōdō mentioned, so, the only explanation is that..."

"Pleased to meet you two, Suzu- _dono._ " Hana replied. "Allow us to introduce myself. My name is Shinhana Kobayakawa, or Hana, to be short. The woman at my left is Chie Kikkawa, or Chie, my cousin, and the man next to me is Nagachika Nomi, or Nagachika, my husband." Hana introduced the group, followed by a bow from the three of them.

Suzu just chuckled a bit. "You don't have to be so formal. Anyway, let me guide you towards Ōsaka Castle, Lord Hideyoshi is waiting for you."

Suzu then led them into Ōsaka Castle. Inside, Hideyoshi and a lot of other warriors are waiting. Amongst them was Takatora Tōdō, Suzu's husband, the strategist Kanbei Kuroda, and te mysterious-looking Yoshitsugu Ōtani. Hideyoshi himself was sitting in front of the room, with a woman which looked a bit younger than him.

"Oh, the representatives from Mōri are here. Pleasure to make your acquaintances." Hideyoshi said, in which the three instantly bowed.

"It's an honor to meet you, the future unifier on this land." Nagachika said,completely knowing about Hideyoshi's goal thanks to his friend (and rival).

After being introduced the three of them by Nagachika, Hideyoshi began to explain about what's going on

"We're going to start the meeting for our first battle. For Nagachika- _san_ , you should take a seat. As for the two lovely ladies..."

Hideyoshi was briefly stopped by the certain woman whose glares are as sharp as iron blades. "Err...I mean, you could choose to take a seat and join us in the meeting, or wait outside and enjoy yourselves." Hideyoshi said, still sweating from the glare given.

"In that case, we'll probably took our leave and wait outside. We don't want to be a distraction on this meeting." Hana said, before taking her leave along with Chie

* * *

-Outside the Castle-

"Hey, Suzu- _chan_ , where are you from?" A pink-haired young girl asked Suzu as she approached the castle gardens where the young girl was waiting."

"Oh, Natsuko- _chan_ , I was just guiding the representatives from the Mōri to Lord Hideyoshi." Suzu replied.

"Oh, right." Natsuko replied as she was looking around from the spot she was seated. "Anyway, Suzu- _chan_ ,"

"Hm?"

"Sitting under these beautiful trees and flowers, it's refreshing, don't you think?"

"Well," Suzu thought for a moment. "I won't disagree with you, but it will be much more refreshing if we can enjoy this while the world's in peace."

"Of course, and it would be much better if we spend it also with the ones close to you. I wish I could enjoy this with _onii-san_." Natsuko replied. "What about Suzu- _chan_? it will be very nice if Suzu- _chan_ could enjoy something like this with Takatora- _san_ , won't it?"

Suzu blushed a deep shade of red. But deep inside, she knew what Natsuko said was right. A time with her husband, under a sakura tree...no one would like to resist that.

Just then, she noticed two ladies were approaching them. Suzu instantly knew them, but not for Natsuko.

"Hana- _dono_? Chie- _dono_?"

"Eh, who are those?" Natsuko asked in confusion.

"They're the representatives from the Mōri, alongside one other person which is probably joining the meeting inside."

"Oh, it's Suzu- _dono_. Oh, and who's this little girl?" Hana asked.

"Hey, I'm not a little girl!" Natsuko pouted. "My name is Natsuko Kimura. How about you?"

"Ah, the name's Shinhana Kobayakawa, you can call me Hana." Hana replied. "And this lady is Chie Kikkawa. You can call her Chie."

Natsuko smiled as she now knew about the two ladies. "Nice to meet you two, Hana- _chan_ , Chie- _chan_."

Chie's face formed a smile, and gestured onto Hana. " _This girl was so energetic and innocent, quite a bit different from her brother, right?_ "

"Ah, you're right. Her brother was much more well-mannered and mature, to be honest." Hana said.

Suzu was a bit confused that Hana was replying on something while she didn't even hear the sentence be replied.

"Er, Hana- _dono_ "

"Yes?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"Err...I'm talking to Chie, why?"

"B...But, Chie- _dono_ didn't say anything."

Hana realized that Suzu haven't known about Chie's 'special' state, probably because Suzu didn't ask anything about them before except their names, in which Hana answered for all of them.

"Oh, sorry, you probably haven't known about her." Hana said. "Chie was mute since she was a kid, so she could only talk using gestures and body language. That's the reason why you can't hear what she said, because she didn't say anything out, instead she used her own body to talk."

"Oh, sorry for being rude, Chie- _dono_." Suzu apologized to the certain mute. Chie just gestured a dismissal, signaling an "it's okay" gesture

"Eh, if Chie- _chan_ couldn't talk, then how can we talk with her?" Natsuko asked innocently.

"You can use your own voice since she could hear you, but she will reply in gestures or by writing her response on your hand, like that. Maybe I could also translate it for you." Hana replied.

"Hey, I want to try, I want to try." Natsuko said, before asking to the mute lady. "Do you want to be my friend, Chie- _chan_."

Chie just smiled and nodded. " _What an innocent young lady. I guess being a friend to her won't be bad_ "

"How about you, Hana- _chan_?"

"Sure, why not?" Hana replied with a smile, not caring about how awkward that conversation could turn out.

 _Maybe this kind of innocence and closeness are fully needed on this time of chaos..._

Hana is unaware, that this one battle will really unveil her greatest secret of her life.

* * *

 _The Mōri forces might have suffered a great defeat at Takamatsu Castle, but eventually with the fall of Nobunaga Oda on the hands of his retainer Mitsuhide Akechi at the Honnōji Temple, his forces decided to turn away and retreated from Takamatsu Castle and avenged the betrayal._

 _Meanwhile, Hideyoshi's protégés managed to seal a negotiation of alliance between Mōri and Hideyoshi, and Mōri decided to help Hideyoshi on his campaign._

 _Meanwhile at the Eastern part of Japan, a powerful man with the name of Ieyasu Tokugawa also rose in power, on his back was a hiding Nobukatsu Oda, son of Nobunaga, who pried of his alliance with Hideyoshi._

 _In response, Hideyoshi began to set a campaign against Nobukatsu and Ieyasu. Along with them are the Mōri representatives Shinhana Kobayakawa, Nagachika Nomi and Chie Kikkawa._

 _With the help of their new friends Natsuko Kimura and Suzu Tōdō, Hana set out for another campaign to raise up the Mōri name._

 _The Forbidden Girl-Battle 5: Battle of Komaki-Nagakute._

* * *

 **Oh hell! I made this chapter just in one night, and I had to do it fast before Eid Mubarak passed. And sorry if this chapter was messy and incomplete. I'll be editing this really soon when I got the time.**

 **Yeah as you can see, the plots in "Bell of the White Hare" also appear here, but instead of Hana, its Hana and Chie, and their focus is not the Hanami, but their bonding as friends, which looked silly, but innocent XD.**

 **Next chapter will be posted as quickly as possible, but in case of not leaving a cliffhanger, I better posted it on August, but it could be anytime, really!**

 **Please R &R and see you next time!**

 **H.S.K-17**


	20. Battle 5- Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (1)

**A/N: Okay, my project is reaching its end, so finally I've got some free time to make a new chapter.**

 **This chapter (and some future chapters) may depict a great turning event for Hana, if you read "Bell of the White Hare", you may know why.**

 **Anyways, for the review replies:**

 **RosyMiranto18** **:**

 **Oops, my bad, it seems like my exhaustion took over my mind. Of course it should be Shizugatake and not Sekigahara XD. I've changed for that one.**

 **Oh, Nagachika, come on, I support the double dare to write that 107 moments!**

 **Nagachika: *Sweatdrop***

 **Okay, for that Satonaka Chie and Hanamura Yousuke, that was ultimately a coincidence. If you want to know, the name "Shinhana" was actually taken from my KH OC "Shinhana Heishiro" in which I change it into "Hanabara Heishiro", and Nagachika was taken from the warrior "Nagachika Narita" of Oshi castle. As about Chie, I take a random name of the suspects in Detective Conan (I forgot what file), the Grandmother Chie Takeda.**

 **Anyway, I've watched the youtube videos of a gamer which is playing Persona 5 and now I am trying to indulge myself in "Persona" series. But somehow since it was of a sudden, I have almost absolutely no idea about it. Maybe you can explain to me the backstory of "Persona" or what kind of game/story it is?**

 **Oh, and yes, Tadayasu has a soft spot in plants. Maybe as much as Yuuki Rito from TLR series :D.**

 **Thanks for the review!**

 **Scarlet 'n Blossom**

 **Oh, sorry bout that.**

 **If I'm not mistaken, they did marry before Komaki-Nagakute, didn't they? So I hope it's okay if I use "-sama" on this chapter. Thanks for the point-out.**

 **Uh, Tadayasu might not know if Hayakawa is his mother's mother until he met her himself, but he might suspect that either Lady Toida or Takakage was not her blood-parent. But judging from his interactions with Lady Toida, it seems that Lady Toida is hinting something to him to help deducing the truth by himself.**

 **Thanks for the review!**

 **Anyway, for you Messenger777, I appreciate that, but do not spam that on my story's review, please! It has no relation even with the story. You cannot post this on Fanfiction (except if it has relation with a story). Thank you for your attention.**

 **Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belong to KOEI, Aki Kimura and Natsuko Kimura belong to RosyMiranto18, Suzu Shiraishi belong to Scarlet 'n Blossom. I own my OCs.**

 **Nevertheless, here's the chapter**

 **Warning: Plot will be taken from 65% Historical and 35% SW4-II since they looked quite different.**

Chapter 20- Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (Part 1)

* * *

-Toyotomi Main Camp-

-Nagachika's PoV-

So this is it...

After such big moves from Hideyoshi, we are now going on a humongous-scale battle. Possibly the biggest I have participated in my life.

Can you blame me? I've been fighting for almost 17 years, and it was always Mōri vs any big army. But now, it wasn't Mōri anymore.

Mōri was now joining under Hideyoshi, and so my reputation as a Mōri warrior might be a bit altered onto Hideyoshi's warrior.

Eh...not I really like it, anyway.

Now, it might be one of the battles that might prove to be difficult. According to Aki and the meeting with Hideyoshi prior to this, our enemy is the great daimyō Ieyasu Tokugawa, the one feared among the land aside from Hideyoshi himself.

An honor...really.

But, aside from that, I've got quite an important task here. No...this task doesn't involve Tokugawa at all, at least, not Tokugawa himself.

It's been eleven years since my father brought us the news regarding our certain Lady of Hōjō. My father clearly states that she, technically my mother-in-law, fled to Tokugawa at that time. And it can't be helped that if we confronted Tokugawa now, we might possibly confront her too.

But, probably not. I just hope she didn't join this large-scale battle, or my task would be very difficult.

My father-in-law, Hana's father, Lord Takakage, had trusted in me to guard Hana physically and emotionally when I married Hana at that time, and he also pointed out just before this battle that we might possibly meet Lady Hayakawa on this battle. I can't fail on this task, or else Hana's heart, along with Takakage's and Hayakawa's will be crushed, and I don't deserve to be called Hana's guardian.

So, this task, well, involved the lady which is under the protection of Tokugawa.

I just hope this ends well.

" _Daijobu-desu,_ Nagachika-sama?" a very familiar figure suddenly brought me back from my "trance". Wait a minute...since when Hana called me with that honorific?

"Engh...n...nothing, Hana- _dono_." I replied. _Smooth dude...when did you learn to be sarcastic._

An immediate blush quickly appeared on her face as she registered that name. "Someone's going sarcastic, I see."

"You started first!"

"Oh, whatever. Anyway, are you sure you're okay? Your face stated that something's really bothering you."

 _Crap! I need to think of a reason._

"Err...I'm just...well...nervous. As you know that we're battling one of the greatest leader in history. This battle will prove to be difficult. I don't know if..."

Her face suddenly changed into frown, and I felt my hands were held tight with hers. _Did I say something wrong?_

"Nagachika, I don't want to hear if you're nervous because of the possibility that we can't see each other again. You have taught me before that we wouldn't be easily separated. So now, if you felt so, then let me repeat your words back to you: "We will see each other again even after this large battle." Hana comforted, now gripping my hands tighter. "Moreover, we're not in a different unit, are we? So it should be okay, I'll be on your side, and so do you on mine. Nothing to worry."

"Thank you, Hana." I said. _Thank you for the topic so I don't have to tell you the truth._

I don't know what happen, but I really felt her hands on my back of my neck, and I felt her face inching closer to mine. It was just mere seconds before we...

"Nagachika- _dono,_ Hana- _dono_ , I..."

We froze, and turned on the source of the voice. Apparently it was one of our new friends, Suzu Shiraishi, and no one couldn't see the heavy blush sporting on the silver-haired girl's face.

"S...Sorry for interrupting," Suzu said while turning away, running while blushing really hard.

"Wait, Suzu- _san_ , it's not what you think..."

"I think it was what she thinks." Nagachika said, earning an embarrassed glare from his wife. "S...Shut up..."

* * *

-Meanwhile, on Tokugawa's side-

It was the thirteenth day of the third month. From the streets near Kiyosu Castle, a big battalion of warriors, led by none other than the great daimyō Ieyasu Tokugawa could be seen strolling onto the castle. With him was the great generals of Tokugawa, Yasumasa Sakakibara, Tadatsugu Sakai and Naomasa Ii. Apparently Tadakatsu Honda was nowhere to be found.

Upon reaching Kiyosu Castle, Ieyasu just readied their forces there, creating a stronghold, and waited for a chance of attacking.

The trigger then showed itself when a messenger ran towards Ieyasu on his findings.

"Report! Forces of Tsuneoki Ikeda had just joined Hideyoshi's forces. Inuyama Castle had fallen!"

Ieyasu knew, this was the trigger for the start of the battle. He was fully prepared on this battle. However, being a trained warrior and lord, he can't possibly just charge forward, he had to find out possible scenario that might follow.

"Tadatsugu- _sama_ , Yasumasa- _sama_ , I entrust you to help me taking Inuyama Castle. It seems like a fellow Tsuneoki Ikeda has turned on us and took it for our enemy. However, don't be rash, and keep your ears to listen more of my instructions, because I felt something interesting might happen here. Do you both understand?"

" _Hai!_ "

"Very well then, go form our formation and prepare for battle!" Ieyasu ordered, confirmed by the two great generals making their way to form a battle formation.

* * *

-Meanwhile, back at Hideyoshi's main camp-

"Hideyoshi- _sama_ , we found out that Tsuneoki Ikeda had joined our side, and had taken Inuyama Castle for us, and Ieyasu looked like he's going to make a move!" A messenger said.

Hideyoshi was struck with glee, but before he could give an order, one of his retainer bowed in front of him.

"Hideyoshi- _sama_ , Ieyasu definitely is going to take Inuyama Castle back to his side, and this could mean that his camp in Kiyosu Castle might be vulnerable. Let me take Kiyosu castle for you."

"I usually don't want to risk any of my retainers, Nagayoshi."

"Please, my lord, allow me to help you for the sake of my fallen brothers and your name." Nagayoshi said.

"Hmm... very well then, you may go." Hideyoshi said. "But don't make any reckless decisions. If the battle was proven to be difficult, retreat back to our base."

" _Hai!_ "

From afar, Nagachika and Hana watched the commotion while taking some rest, along with their fellow friends.

"So, it has begun, huh?" Nagachika said. "To be honest, I disagree with Nagayoshi- _sama_ 's decision. Our enemy is the great Ieyasu Tokugawa."

"I know what you mean." A stoic voice said, belonging to certain Takatora Tōdō. "Knowing Ieyasu, he will have more backup plans regarding this matter. The fact that he left Kiyosu Castle under only his retainer might mean that he had set a plan in case it was attacked."

"Should we alert Nagayoshi- _sama_ , then?" Hana suggested.

"Well, I doubt that was even possible. Nagayoshi is joining this battle while carrying his will to avenge his fallen brothers back at Honnōji. Such avenger will never hear that kind of persuasion. I even doubted about his confirmation on Hideyoshi's warnings."

"Well, what should we do, then?" Hana asked.

"As horrible as it could be, I think we shouldn't do anything until Hideyoshi- _sama_ gave us instructions. I bet everyone here do not want to lose the trust from Hideyoshi, even if this means Nagayoshi was then made a pawn for himself."

"Said the guy who secretly tried to defect to Ieyasu himself." Suddenly an annoying sound could be heard approaching them. The voice made Takatora boomed in anger and the others felt surprised.

"Watch that excuse of a mouth, bighead." Takatora beamed on the certain man.

"Oh, didn't you say that you make Nagayoshi a pawn? Isn't that what traitors do?"

"Stop that nonsense, Ishida- _dono_ ," Hana said, her tone sounded high, a proof that she was also annoyed by the redhead's presence. "Nagayoshi went off on his own free will, and we haven't got orders to assist him. If we did assist him without Hideyoshi's concern, isn't it also called a treason?"

"Shut up, Imbecile!"

Feeling annoyed of his wife getting loathed like that, Nagachika also chimed in. "Well then, Mr. Everyone-is-Imbecile, do you have any ideas then?"

Mitsunari glared at the Mōri retainer, refusing to answer anything, and just turned around and leave.

"So, who's the imbecile?" Nagachika said, earning laughter from the entire group.

* * *

-Meanwhile on Tokugawa's side-

Ieyasu Tokugawa and his warriors are still marching on Inuyama Castle, intending to take it back. Ieyasu was sure he was already prepared enough, even had calculated every possible reaction from his march.

"My lord, our scout reported a horde of enemy force approaching Kiyosu Castle." a messenger informed the great warlord.

"Just like one of the possible outcomes. Well then, Tadatsugu- _sama_ , go and deal with them, like we had discussed before!"

"On it, my lord!"

-On Nagayoshi's Side-

"So that is Kiyosu Castle. Looks defenseless enough." Nagayoshi thought. "From what my messenger's said, Ieyasu was nowhere to be found, and the castle is having a thin defense. But this is Ieyasu we're talking about, I guess there must've been an ambush ready inside. Good thing I have just what I need to counter an ambush party."

Nagayoshi and his men began to build a numerous amount of siege towers, ready to rain out projectiles inside the castle. Not long after that, the siege towers are ready to operate.

"Fire at will!" Nagayoshi commanded.

A horde of projectiles, ranging from arrows to any other projectiles rained into the castle, in an attempt to lure the ambush parties from their place. Instead, no one came out from hiding.

"What the? So there are no ambush after all? So Ieyasu really left his castle like this?" Nagayoshi thought. "Although then, why did I feel something's not right."

"Nagayoshi- _sama_! Forces led by Tadatsugu Sakai had appeared from our left flank!"

" _Na...Nani?_ " Nagayoshi's expression turned into a panic one. " _Minna,_ we need to retreat, forget Kiyosu Castle, we have to report to Lord Hideyoshi!"

Nagayoshi began to retreat back to Hideyoshi's camp, and made it back, but after suffering about 300 casualties on his force."

-Back at Hideyoshi's Camp-

"Sir, Nagayoshi had retreated from a flank attack, and our scouts reported that Lord Ieyasu is on the way to Komaki Castle."

Hideyoshi was startled by the news, but he did think that the battle could be easily concluded by confronting Ieyasu himself.

"Everyone, take your positions. Hidetsugu, Tsuneoki, wait for Nagayoshi to come back and confront Ieyasu at Komaki Castle. We'll be following as backup."

" _Hai!_ "

Everyone are readying their formations without hesitation, except our certain youngsters who might look a bit further.

"Why did I feel that this is another plan by Ieyasu?" Nagachika thought. "I hope this is the best decision we can take."

Sadly, it wasn't, and a very important event of the battle was going to take place on the battle.

* * *

 **A/N : After such struggles, finally I could finish this chapter. Truth to be said, I can't finish this very quickly. What's more I counted that there will be 45 chapters all along (my original plan until Hana died), but if the situation is dire, I will cut this story to just about 30-35 chapters, ignoring the last moments of Hana's life, with the last battle becoming "Siege of Odawara" instead of "Battle of Sekigahara".**

 **Well, although I'm now on "Anime Marathon", that means I watched multiple animes and started to have a "Change of Heart", I'm not discontinuing this story, but my writing skill could be affected. (Heck I watched three anime's and all three had a sad ending, so somehow I felt a bit depressed after watching them and that affected my writing.)**

 **Expect slow updates because now I'm in the 7** **th** **semester, and started to take a Final Assignment (In Indonesian we called it as : Skripsi or Tugas Akhir), so I need to focus on that too.**

 **Please R &R!**

 **See you soon**

 **H.S.K-17**


	21. Battle 5- Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (2)

****A/N: Whoa! How long have I been in Hiatus already? Can't believe I almost had no time for this story! I'm sorry for abandoning you all.****

 ** **At the previous chapter, The first part of Komaki-Nagakute is taking place, starting from the Battle of Haguro, where Nagayoshi was ambushed by the impeding Tokugawa Army while trying to take Kiyosu Castle for his own.****

 ** **In this section, the battle will progress onto Mikawa, Iwasaki Castle and Hakusanmori, and you may guess where this will end?****

 ** **Anyway, as for the review:****

 ** **RosyMiranto18:****

 ** **Okay, when I got the time I'll be checking Tv Tropes!****

 ** **Anyway, I agree for Natsuko being better at teasing. However, there's no tease, only an "accident" happening when our main couple just wanted to spend more "romantic time", and that included the sudden...ehem...you know...****

 ** **Looks like somebody is too innocent...****

 ** **Whew, that area of reference was too much for me. But I'll be taking on your advices. Anyway, would you mind if you PM me about the 'unexpected guest' so I can insert him/her for the next chapters.****

 ** **And, I'll do my best! Thanks for the Review!****

 ** **Scarlet 'n Blossom:****

 ** **O...Okay, calm down, Suzu...****

 ** **Actually, you don't have to be so downhearted on your English. Just do your best to learn more! Anyway, isn't there the Indonesian version for the wiki? Or there isn't?****

 ** **I'll do my best! You did your best too with the story, 'kay?****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Now, let's continue with the chapter!****

Chapter 21: Battle of Komaki-Nagakute 2

* * *

-A certain place, a few miles from Komakiyama Castle-

"My lord, we have just taken the needed supplies from the desired places." One of Tokugawa's subordinates reported.

"Alright, what did you get?"

"Some high-quality wood from the nearest forest, big amount of stones, some grain and food, we've got a few amount of gold also from the nearest mine. This might add enough supply for another three weeks, my lord." the subordinate replied.

"Alright, you can go and take a rest. We're going tomorrow as planned." Ieyasu ordered, followed by a bow from the subordinate.

* * *

-Shinogi (now Kasugai)-

The forces of Hideyoshi was on their way to Okazaki Castle. Apparently Tsuneoki Ikeda had informed the force that Ieyasu was in Komaki Castle and recommended Hideyoshi to attack. As ambitious as ever, Hideyoshi was elated and prepared his troops, including the forces of Nagayoshi Mori, Tsuneoki Ikeda and, surprisingly, the young Hidetsugu Hashiba.

Everyone was drunk in the look-like chance of the current condition of the battle. However, one man seemed a bit nervous about the decision.

* * *

-Nagachika's PoV-

To think of it, Tsuneoki- _ _sama__ 's idea of assaulting the commander was indeed one recklessness. That's almost directing a sheep to a wolf's den. I myself would agree if and only if our enemy is weak or didn't stand a chance against us.

However, this is the great Ieyasu Tokugawa we're talking about. Tales and folklores had described a lot about him and his experience-strengthened genius mind. To think that he will fall into a sudden charge like this, it might not be like him at all. I know something's planned on Ieyasu's side.

"So, you think so too?"

I turned towards the source of the voice near me. Judging from the deepness and somehow anger-and-rage-infused sound like that...well, if it isn't our duck-bottom-style-haired Takatora Toudou.

"Hm, I wonder if you're a psychic, Takatora- _ _san,__ because you just guessed what's inside my head right now."

"Spare me the sarcasm, Nagachika." Takatora replied. "To be honest, this battle was already been desperate for us if not for our big numbers. Going straight to Ieyasu was indeed a suicide."

-3rd Person's PoV-

"The plan of attacking Ieyasu was indeed a suicide, if that's our only plan." Suddenly a voice emanated from the two gentlemen's side. The two gentlemen turned to see one of Hideyoshi's officer: Tsuneoki Ikeda.

"T...Tsuneoki- _ _sama__." Nagachika bowed.

"Raise your head, Nomi- _ _san__." Tsuneoki said. "Anyway, glad to find both of you already here, since Ishida is going to explain on our full plan. Come to the meeting room right now, your wives had been waiting for you."

"O...Okay." Nagachika replied, while Takatora said nothing, eyes still sulking as usual.

-Meeting Room-

"Thank you for coming, Nagachika- _ _san__ and Takatora- _ _san.__ You surely take your time." Mitsunari said with a sarcastic look, which of course, annoyed a certain moody figure in the group.

"What did you say, Ishida?"

"Being late is one proof that one's unworthy of their duties, imbecile."

"You little..."

"Hold on...hold on...why did it come like this? At least we came uninjured and ready." Nagachika said. "Besides, we've just came here directly after Tsuneoki- _ _sama__ ordered us to..."

"Doesn't change the fact that you're late, imbecile number 2..."

"On whose time did you consider this as late? Even if we do..."

"Now...now...both of you could take a seat, if you please." Hideyoshi said from his seat. "Mitsunari, instead of spraying them with rude comments, why don't you start explaining to us about the plan?"

"Alright, Hideyoshi- _ _sama__ ," Mitsunari replied in a disgruntled voice. Apparently Nagachika had taken a seat beside Hana and Takatora beside Suzu, with Natsuko and Chie between the two wives.

"We all know that Ieyasu is one of the most prominent and clever figure in our era, so we've found ourselves fighting a very hard battle. That means we have to counter him using all plans we've got." Mitsunari explained. "Judging from the messenger's information and the position of the castles, we could station ourselves at Nagakute. Everyone except the forces of Ikeda could march there. To ensure that the march is safe, I entrust Tsuneoki- _ _san__ to lead your troops on a hit-and-run tactics on some castles near Nagakute, the first one might be Iwasaki Castle since it was one of the key defenses in Nisshin. To assist Ikeda, we will need also some stealthy tactics, so, Shiraishi- _ _san__ , if you please.

Suzu was shocked to hear this. Being very agile and stealthy in the previous battles at Shizugatake had earned herself some recognition onto stealth tactics. However, to be entrusted for such an important task, it was a bit too much for her.

"I..." Suzu was still a bit shocked. Her eyes then darted onto the eyes of the man beside her, of course, the reply might be seen like an icy glare since it was already his trademark.

All of a sudden, Suzu felt something touching her shoulders with a tap, and Suzu felt someone's face was nearing her. Already been close for so long, Suzu already knew what happened.

"I trust you, I knew you can do it. Just make sure not to force yourself." Takatora whispered near her ear.

Their faces were so close that some of the officers misunderstood the situation.

"Ahem..."

"Aaa... _ _g...gomenasai!__." Suzu replied bashfully.

"So, Shiraishi- _ _san__?" Mitsunari asked with a brim annoyance, partly because of the long-waiting, but maybe partly because he was...well...disgusted,

"Ah...if that's it, then I humbly accept the task." Suzu said formally, accepting the task given by the protege of Hideyoshi himself.

"The rest of you will be divided into some groups. Hidetsugu- _ _sama__ was the heir of Hideyoshi so we can't afford losing him, so we'll assign more people to assist him. I'll assign Kobayakawa- _ _san__ , Nomi- _ _san__ and Mori- _ _san__ to guard Hidetsugu- _ _sama'__ s forces."

Hana, Nagachika and Nagayoshi bowed in acceptance.

"Hori- _ _san__ 's forces, along with Toudou- _ _san__ and Kimura- _ _san__ will move onto Nagakute village as advance force. By the time they are going to arrive, Shiraishi- _ _san__ and Ikeda- _ _san__ execute the hit-and-run plan on Iwasaki Castle."

Hidemasa and Tsuneoki bowed in acceptance.

"The rest of the group will stay in case Ieyasu attacked any of this group. We'll be acting as reinforcements. Did everyone understand?"

All of the officers of Hideyoshi bowed, signaling the agreement towards the plan.

* * *

-Shinogi-

Hidetsugu advanced his forces onto the borders of Shinogi, making him very near to a castle known as Obata Castle. On his back was Nagayoshi, Hana and Nagachika acting as the rear guard.

Hana seemed a bit more carefree, and Nagayoshi also looked like it. However, one other officer looked somehow concerned towards something. Of course, being the closest person to him, Hana knew something is not right

"Nagachika, __daijoubu-desuka__?" Hana asked full of concern.

" _ _D...Daijoubu__."

"Really? You've been like this for quite some time now, starting when we're back at the camp. If you have something in mind, please don't hesitate to speak to me."

"I'm just wondering, if you had lived for this long years and suddenly you found out that someone's actually your family and another one isn't, how do you feel?" Nagachika mumbled

" _ _Are?__ Can you say it again, Nagachika? I can't hear you clearly."

"E...Eh... _ _betsuni...__ " Nagachika replied a bit nervously. "A thought from a story I read yesterday just came to mind, that's all."

"I don't recall you read a story yesterday."

"That's because I read it when you're sleeping." Nagachika replied.

"Well, you should introduce me to that story, because somehow it sounds quite depressing yet interesting." Hana said naively.

' _ _I don't need to, because you eventually will experience it yourself'.__

* * *

 _ _-__ At the same day-

Ieyasu's forces had apparently made their entrance to Obata Castle. A messenger...no...rather a shadowy figure just approached the respectable commander.

"Oh, Hattori _ _,__ did you find any information regarding the Toyotomi or his underlings."

"Hm..." Hattori just nodded and said nothing. Instead he gave Ieyasu a piece of paper which looks like a letter.

Inside was:

"The farmers of my province had witnessed that Hidetsugu Toyotomi and some of his colleagues had passed them onto the direction of Shinogi.-Hattori."

"Shinogi...hmm..." Ieyasu said. "That's not too far from here, maybe we could chase them tomorrow, we could strike them from behind if we can, but it might be too risky. Anyone got ideas."

Ieyasu's generals were thinking on the solution, before a certain general from Sakakibara clan proposed an idea.

"If it was Shinogi, then we could just intercept them at Hakusanmori near here. That's the most possible way if they wanted to reach us. Judging from the terrain, I think a surprise attack might be good."

"But there are two ways to enter Hakusanmori, if we wanted to use surprise attack, we need to make two ambush parties, is it okay?" Another general from the Sakai clan added.

" _ _Ano...__ sorry for interrupting." Suddenly a certain woman at their late forties intruded the meeting. "May I ask about who accompanied Hidetsugu on his back, according to what you see?"

Everyone knew the question was directed to none other than Hanzo Hattori, but since he seldom talks, a messenger takes on his place.

"If I'm not mistaken, Hidetsugu's forces was backed up by three little groups: Two male and one female. The female was holding a two-sided spear while for the males: The smaller one used a kind of bow and arrowhead spear while the bigger one used a kind of spear."

The woman thought for a moment.

'Hakusanmori is a very large area, but the paths towards them are small, especially the west path. If we focused on the southern path, which is bigger and more vulnerable, then probably we could hold them off...but if there's a chance that they used the western path, what would we do...'

Suddenly, a realization hit him. The messenger did say that one of them is using a bow and an arrowhead spear. And there's a female in the group. There's only one officer the woman knew that used that weapon set.

'If this guy is the same guy as what I think he is, then...'

A risky idea formed in her mind.

"We should focus the surprise attack on the southern path. Ujizane and I will guard the western path."

The group was definitely shocked about this extremely risky idea.

"A...Are you insane, Hayakawa- _ _dono?__ Ujizane said.

"No, it's going to be okay. Trust me."

"Alright then, but to make sure we didn't lose any allies, I'll assign some reinforcements to help you in case you need help on the western path." Ieyasu said. 'Though, with those confidence, I bet Hayakawa- _ _dono__ knew about this people guarding Hidetsugu.'

"Sakakibara and the members of Niwa clan. Your order is to pursue Hidetsugu from the back. Hayakawa- _ _dono__ and Ujizane- _ _sama__ will guard the western path. Ina will act as their reinforcement, along with Tadatsugu Sakai and Masahira Honda. The rest of you could position yourself at the southern path of Hakusanmori in hiding. Everyone clear?"

The group bowed and made their way towards their camp.

"We're going to start tomorrow. Start preparing yourself!"

* * *

-Iwasaki Castle-

"Sir, the forces of Hidemasa Hori had just entered the village of Nagakute area. We should start the hit-and-run now!"

"Alright then." Tsuneoki replied, before turning to his colleague, "Shiraishi- _ _san__ , you ready?"

" _ _H...Hai!"__

"Don't make it sound like you're not ready. Don't worry, I'm sure Toudou- _ _san__ will trust you more in the future if you succeeded."

Suzu just blushed a bit when the Ikeda clan member mentioned the name of her husband, which had put his trust onto her. Somehow her lips formed a smile and a look of determination was visible on her eyes after hearing such words.

"Thank you, Ikeda- _ _sama__."

"Alright, that's the spirit. Now let's go!"

Suzu moved forward stealthily, taking down the outer guards of Iwasaki Castle, while Tsuneoki charged forward, trying to cause as much damage as he can on Iwasaki Castle..

The hit-and-run on Iwasaki Castle looked like a success, until one shot changed its course. An arquebus managed to hit Tsuneoki's horse and Tsuneoki was shot off his horse.

"To think, that I'll fall on this castle..."

Tsuneoki's mind went berserk, and after finding another horse, he charged forward to the castle, trying to take it instead of causing damage onto it. Suzu, who watched the commotion, was suddenly thrown into confusion.

"What? Isn't this supposed to be a hit-and-run?"

A confused Suzu was suddenly attacked from many sides, and she struggled to make herself an exit...

* * *

-Hakusanmori-

"Alright, let's continue our march!"

Apparently, the forces of Hidetsugu had camped for one day at Shinogi, and by Hidetsugu's decision, the group continued their march towards Hakusanmori.

And just as planned, as they reach the paths of Hakusanmori, Ieyasu's forces began to spring an ambush, and Hidetsugu was forced to pull back, however... on their back...

"T...That was..." Nagachika thought in horror as he knew that they were trapped.

A losing battle was unavoidable. Many of Hidetsugu's forces were destroyed, but as the battle progresses, Nagachika had found something interesting.

"Is that...a path?"

"What are you thinking of, Nagachika? We need to withdraw right now..."

"I wanted to agree, but I think I may try to face this risk. Hana, Hidetsugu, Nagayoshi, and the others should withdraw as quickly as possible. I'll be charging from that path.

"You're insane! You can't go there alone. I'll help you!" Hana offered.

"Me too!" Nagayoshi said.

"No, our real task is to protect Hidetsugu- _ _sama__! We'll be acting as bait so you could escape. I could accept Hana to help me, but I can't accept more or otherwise Hidetsugu was going to be open for another ambush. Can you please excuse us, Hidetsugu- _ _sama__ , Nagayoshi- _ _sama__?"

"I guess we had no choice..." Hidetsugu said. "But you're a talented officer of Hideyoshi. Please make it back safely!"

"We will!"

And so Hidetsugu and Nagayoshi fought their way back to the camp, while Hana and Nagachika took the western path and tried to enter Hakusanmori.

Only to be stopped by another ambush waiting for them, and Nagachika's eyes went wide in an unbelievable shock as he realized on who the ambush party leader was.

"It's been a long time, Hana, Nagachika..."

* * *

 ** **A/N: And here...is the turning point of the story.****

 ** **The next chapter will be the continuation of Battle of Komaki-Nagakute until the end of the battle. The next update again will be slow due to Thesis and many other things to do, especially I've got finals this week :-((.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Sorry for the crappy continuation since I made this on a train back to the area where my campus stood.****

 ** **See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	22. Battle 5- Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (3)

****A/N: After so long, we're back with another chapter! This chapter will cover what happen in Hakusanmori after some certain figures appeared before our MC. Also with it, the Battle of Hinokigane (the second last battle before Nagakute) will also be covered.****

 ** **Also, for the reviews:****

 ** **RosyMiranto18**** ** **: Okay, save the sarcasm, sir. I appreciate it.****

 ** **Hm, that much, eh? I wonder which one should I put inside, or probably I'll just stick with my usual plan.****

 ** **Well, if we got a Imbecile-referring contest with Mitsunari against Sima Yi, I wonder who will win...****

 ** **Although I'm not applying for any subjects on my campus since I already exceeded the required credits, I still have to rush my Thesis so I could finish as early as possible, that's the reason why I said I'm that busy on January.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Scarlet 'n Blossom**** ** **: Well, what if I put a bad end XD...Haha, IJK, IJK, I'm not that mean.****

 ** **Oh, if only I make them kiss, but I wonder how the ones in the meeting will react. You can imagine it by yourself.****

 ** **Actually, I'm not fully following the history, though I must say that the English wiki contains much more detailed information, and I made this chapter based on it.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Now, here's the chapter!****

Chapter 22- Battle of Komaki-Nagakute 3

* * *

-Iwasaki Castle-

A confused white-haired lady was struggling from the sudden attacks. She was confused because of the sudden change. As much as she knew, her mission together with Tsuneoki Ikeda is to perform a hit-and-run onto Iwasaki Castle, but what happened in the field didn't even match one.

Instead of a hit-and-run, which should've been a silent assault. Suzu's eyes just witnessed a full-assault onto the castle, and of course the opposing force would be all-out to, making the lady in mention just dumbfounded and not ready.

However, her small posture and agility helped her quite much. As hordes of enemies begun charging at her, she, although struggling, could manage herself to dodge as much attacks as possible and retreated to rendezvous with Tsuneoki's forces. Though, despite her agility, some scars could be visible on her body due to the fact that they're battling against the great Tokugawa's forces, which was known for their experience, skills, and strategies.

She immediately find out that Iwasaki Castle, the target of the supposed hit-and-run, had fallen under Tsuneoki's rushing attack, since she found Tsuneoki right inside of the castle.

"T...Tsuneoki- _ _sama,__ you alright?" Suzu asked at her colleague.

"I...I'm fine, Shiraishi- _ _san__." the Ikeda member replied.

"I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but I just wanted to ask something...Aren't we supposed to hit this castle for a hit-and-run only? Why did it turn out to be a full-scale assault instead?"

Tsuneoki realized his mistake and immediately bowed. "I'm sorry, Shiraishi- _ _san__ , I forgot. It seemed that my damaged pride from being shot off my horse took me over, I didn't realize until now."

"Well, the deed has already been done, anyway." Suzu replied softly. "But, what should we do now? We haven't got any orders yet."

"Since we've got this castle in our bag, then we probably could defend this castle..."

"No, wait." Suddenly a man stopped the conversation. Both of them turned to see another man of the Ikeda approaching them.

"Oh, Nobuteru- _ _san,__ did you mean that you had an idea? If so then you could tell us." Tsuneoki said, curious of his relative's idea.

"From my part, since we're already here at Mikawa, why don't we try to attack Mt. Komaki from the side? Since the front was put on a stalemate, we could try to launch a raid, right?"

"Wait, are you really sure about this? What if they had someone ready to intercept us there?" Suzu asked, of course worried about their current position. She might not be as cunning as her husband Takatora Toudou or her husband's close friend Yoshitsugu Ootani, but she knew very well that their numbers currently present on their subforces are miniscule, and since Mt. Komaki is one of the main bases, a raid might not be as easy. What's more, they're combatting against none other than the great Ieyasu Tokugawa himself. She knew this and was very cautious on her move, not wanting to disappoint her beloved.

Unfortunately, her colleagues didn't seem fazed by this possible outcome, and decided to form an attack squad. Suzu was reluctant at first, but since she probably couldn't hold the castle on her own, she couldn't help but to follow Ikeda's forces.

* * *

-Hakusanmori-

" _ _Hisashiburi,__ Hayakawa- _ _dono,__ Ujizane- _ _sama__." Nagachika greeted the two ambushers, much to Hana's shock and confusion.

"N...Nagachika, you knew both of them?"

"Er..." Nagachika thought for a moment. ' _ _Crap, I had to think of a reason, or else...'__

"Why yes..." Suddenly the older woman replied to her. The older woman was holding something like a floorball stick and wore white dress with bluish clothes hanging on her. Her blue eyes was holding back tears, but her face just showed a genuine smile. "Nagachika, thank you for raising her well."

"I'm honored to receive such a gratitude from milady." Nagachika bowed, again shocking Hana much further. "Though, it's really an unexpected turn of events, for all of us to meet again here, much less in opposing sides."

"I'm surely have known this time could come, anyway." Ujizane replied.

Hana, which was already fully dumbfounded and shocked, couldn't process what is going on. They're supposed to be ambushed, and yet the ambushers did know Nagachika and her.

"W...What's the meaning of this? How could you know us? And what business did you want here?" Hana exclaimed.

"Hana, let me..."

"No, Nagachika, both of them are from the enemy's force, right? Let me finish them..."

"Hana, don't..."

"Actually, Nagachika, let her be." Hayakawa said as she readied her stance for battle.

"M...Milady, what are you..."

"I'm merely testing her strength. I wanted to know how much she had learned from you. And I have something in mind. Just put your trust in me and your wife."

"Uh...I guess, I have no choice." Nagachika said. "I'll be rooting from here, just to make sure everything's okay."

"W...Wait, Nagachika, what are you doing?"

"You hear the lady, she's going to fight you by herself, and I decided not to butt in. I will tell you everything after this."

"Nagachika..." Hana frowned. Never she felt extremely suspicious towards her own husband like this. But since she had no choice and she knew it was for the best, then she readied herself on a fighting stance too.

"Ujizane- _ _sama__ , don't try to interfere." Hayakawa asked her husband, in which Ujizane quickly obeyed her."

And so, with that, Hana charged forward at the older woman, in which Hayakawa quickly defend herself. For Nagachika, it hurts to look, but at the same time, he could view the battle as something else...

* * *

-Hinokigane-

"Now, here we are." Nobuteru said as they nearly approached Mount Komaki from Mikawa. They're currently at Hinokigane, positioned near both Mount Komaki and Nagakute. The area was nonetheless shady and silent. "Just like I said, right. They had no defense right here."

"Hm, I would like to agree, but didn't you think this was quite fishy? Tsuneoki asked his relative. We are facing the great Ieyasu Tokugawa, so I had a bad feeling that he was planning something. What do you think, Shiraishi- _ _san?__

Suzu didn't blink even once, her eyes was focused on her bell charm. She was probably thinking of what happened to Takatora right now.

"Uh...Shiraishi- _ _san__ , what's with the bell? Is something happening to Toudou- _ _san__?"

"E..Ehh..." Suzu blushed at the remark. " _ _I...Ie...nandemonai__...what is it, Tsuneoki- _ _sama?"__

"Did you think this area was a bit suspicious to you?"

Suzu focused her eyes and looked around her. She didn't find anything, not even a single human there, which was eerily confusing and raising suspicion on her. "You're right, something's not right here?"

"Ah, I don't care. We've got our chances here, so why don't we..."

"Hold on!" Suzu suddenly interrupts. "Is it just me, or did I hear a horde of footsteps from our flank?"

The three, along with their troops looked at their rear, finding out that a horde of people was approaching them, and, much to their horror, they had the banner of Tokugawa on themselves.

"This is just as I thought, but now what must I do?" Suzu asked herself. "Tsuneoki- _ _sama__ , Nobuteru- _ _sama__ , what should we do?"

"We have no choice but to fight." Tsuneoki replied. "However, this area, if I'm not mistaken, was near our allies' position in Nagakute."

At the mention of Nagakute, Suzu came to a realization. Her husband, Takatora, was amongst the ones that stayed at Nagakute, and she, from Tsuneoki's words, knew very well that Tsuneoki wanted someone to report onto their allies there. So, well, you can deduce the rest.

"I'll take care of them, you should go and report to Hidemasa and the others, Shiraishi- _ _san.__ "

"But, what about you?"

"It's okay, we've already experienced this kind of battles before, leave it to us." Nobuteru said. "Just go!"

"Alright, hang in there, both of you." Suzu exclaimed as she made her way to Nagakute, evading the enemies that obstructed her path.

* * *

-Hakusanmori-

It's been half-an-hour since the two ladies fight, none of them seems willing to even back down a bit, although fatigue began to seep towards both of them, much towards a certain man's fright.

"Not good, if this continues, one of them will surely finish the other off, and this can't happen." Nagachika thought. However, he had pledged not to interfere, and so he can't do anything.

Then it happened, Hayakawa was somehow slipped an opening, and Hana, noticing this, used the opportunity and brought Hayakawa down to her knees.

"You surely have grown, Shinhana." Hayakawa said, panting after the last blow.

"You don't know anything about me, now die..."

"Wait, Shinhana, don't kill her." Nagachika, finally can't stay much longer, decided to stop his wife from dealing more damage. "This is enough."

"Don't stop me, Nagachika!"

"I had promised that I'll tell you something, and since it's over, I'm going to tell you, and please bear yourself for this fact, Hana." Nagachika said. "This is Lady Hayakawa of the Hōjō, and the man next to him is Lord Ujizane Imagawa."

"You're only telling me this?"

"This will actually shock you too much, but please ready your mind before this, and if you didn't believe me, you can ask Takakage- _ _sama__ for further confirmation.

"Eh, my father, why?"

"The thing is, Lady Hayakawa was actually..."

"Actually, what?"

.

.

"Your birth mother..." Nagachika said, the words exited his mouth very bitterly. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you this much sooner."

Of course, if Hana was not shocked, then it probably could be considered as illogical. Right now Hana's eyes went wide, her jaw dropped, and she fell onto her knees.

" _ _U...Uso dayo...__ you're kidding me, right, Nagachika?"

"I won't go as far as that if I'm just kidding. This is the truth that had been hidden away from you."

Hana's body went weak. "D...Does that mean, Ujizane- _ _sama__..."

"No, I'm not your birth father." Ujizane said. "Your father, Takakage- _ _sama__ , is really your birth father, no doubt.

"B...But...how can this be possible, h...how can..."

"You should ask that to your father," Hayakawa said. "I can't tell you here since apparently you still can't believe all of this."

"Of course I can't!" Hana said, "How am I supposed to, anyway! How can I suddenly believe that my mother was not really my mother, and a random person, much less from the enemy force, just claimed to be my mother?"

"You need to calm down, Hana." Nagachika said.

"I can't, Nagachika, and how could you just keep this from me? Why didn't you tell me that you know all of this?"

"Because I didn't want you to despise Lady Toida, who had taken care of you after you were sent from the Hōjō household to your home in Aki. I don't want you also to suffer on your childhood. And since you are already an adult, I assume that you won't freak out and try to think everything clearly."

"I..." Hana was at the loss of words, and stayed still on the ground, kneeling. However, Nagachika knew very well that Hana, undoubtedly, was depressed on the news.

"If this is how it comes, then I've got no other choice." Nagachika said. "Hayakawa- _ _dono__ , Hana and I will be going to go back to Aki and let Takakage- _ _sama__ knew about the fact that you're here. I hope, if the situation was possible, I'd like to meet you again, together with Takakage- _ _sama__ , Lady Toida, and probably my children, your grandchildren." Nagachika said.

"I knew what you mean. Hana would need much more of your care on her condition like this." Hayakawa said. "We ourselves probably wouldn't be back at Kantō, and probably I'll be staying at Mikawa, but I'm going to send you a letter if the situation has changed. So until then, I'll be rooting for your return. And please, take care of my daughter."

"I'll make sure of that." Nagachika replied.

As the two went back to the camp, no one even started a talk, they just went back to the camp with silence. This saddens Nagachika even further.

'Had I failed? Is this how it must turn out? What am I going to tell to Takakage- _ _sama__? No, much more than that...what will happen with us? With Tadayasu and Natsuka? And also with the others of the Mōri?'

Thousands of horrible questions began to seep onto his mind, thinking of what might happen to everything, now the secrets were out.

This will be a new high-difficulty test for him.

* * *

-Nagakute-

"Hey, did you hear something?" Takatora asked his colleagues.

"What, I didn't hear anything." Hidemasa replied.

"Nor did I." Natsuko also replied.

"Are you sure, but I think I just heard the sound of battle near us. Are there enemies outside us?"

"Well, probably our allies were engaging in battle somewhere. Speaking of which, I wonder how Suzu- _ _chan__ 's doing with the hit-and-run..."

Suddenly they heard loud footsteps, like somebody was running onto them. Natsuko Kimura was the one to notice that a certain white-haired lady was running onto them.

"I...Is that Suzu- _ _chan__?"

With the remark, Takatora and Hidemasa turned to the approaching lady. For Hidemasa, it was a relief to see an ally rendezvousing with them, but for Takatora, having a closer connection to the lady herself, sensed something.

"Suzu, what's happening?" Takatora asked, before realizing also that Suzu was covered in scars. "What happened to you?"

"Yeah, what's happening, Suzu- _ _chan__? Did you encounter a powerful enemy?" Natsuko added.

"Actually...ugh..." Suzu winced in pain from the scars.

"I'll get you some aid, hang in there, Suzu- _ _chan__."

"No, it's okay, Natsuko. I'm just wanting to say that Tsuneoki Ikeda and Nobuteru Ikeda had commenced a raid on Mount Komaki from the rear of Hinokigane, but they're now struggling against Tokugawa Force's flank attack. They need your help."

"What's that Tsuneoki thinking..." Hidemasa said, angered by the reckless attempt his colleague commenced. "Well, we have no choice, Ikeda's really in danger. I'll help them. Toudou- _ _san__ , Kimura- _ _san__ , Shiraishi- _ _san__ , I hope you could defend this castle until I come back.

"Eh, are you okay with yourself?" I'll help!" Natsuko exclaimed.

"No, it's okay, I don't want your brother to be mad at me. You better help Toudou- _ _san__ to cure Shiraishi- _ _san__ , that wounds could be deadly if not treated well." Hidemasa said, before readying his platoon and made their way to Hinokigane.

"U...Uhh..." Suzu was still wincing from the pain from the numerous scars. "T...Takatora- _ _sama__ , I'm glad you're still safe."

"And in return, you just made me worried, Suzu." Takatora said a bit stoically. "What happened to you? Is something wrong in Iwasaki Castle?"

"It's just a little misunderstanding." Suzu replied. "When Tsuneoki- _ _sama__ announced the hit-and-run, I began to stealthily move for a silent attack on the unaware enemy. But somehow, Tsuneoki- _ _sama__ changed the plan to a full-scale assault on the castle, and because of that, the enemy was aware and countered us heavily."

"So all basically was Tsuneoki- _ _sama__ 's fault." Takatora muttered. "At least you're back here alive. Natsuko, can you cure her wounds?"

"Alright, leave it to me."

* * *

-Hideyoshi's Camp-

"Oh, Nomi- _ _san__ , you're back already?" Nagayoshi said, looking at the exhausted couple. "W...What happened to Kobayakawa- _ _san__?"

"Save the questions for later, in the meantime could you tell me where Chie is? I wanted to talk about something."

"Oh, Kikkawa- _ _san__ is at Hideyoshi's camp right now." Hidetsugu said.

"Alright, Thank You, Hidetsugu- _ _sama__." Nagachika said, still holding the silent Hana on his back. "In the meantime, could I call a healer for Kobayakawa- _ _san__?"

"No, you don't have to. I'll take care of her." Nagachika replied. "I'll be going."

-Hideyoshi's Camp-

"Oh, Nomi- _ _san__ , you're back already?" Hideyoshi greeted the couple. "Oh, what happened to Kobayakawa- _ _san__?"

"She's just got some troubles that I couldn't tell. In the meantime, can I ask Chie to come with us?"

"Sure." Hideyoshi said as he began to call one of his subordinates who stayed still at the camp. Hearing her name be called, Chie immediately went to meet her cousin. She took his hand and began gesturing.

 _"_ _ _What is it, Nagachika-san?"__

 _"_ _ _I need your help to comfort Hana. She had just found out about her greatest secret and she was depressed after hearing it. Could you help me?"__ Nagachika gestured back.

 _"_ _ _The greatest secret, you mean her bloodline and her true mother?"__

 _"_ _ _Yeah, you're right."__

 _"_ _ _Alright then, I'll do my best."__ Chie smiled, before retrieving Hana from Nagachika's back. _"_ _ _What are you going to do, then?"__

"Hideyoshi- _ _sama__!" Suddenly one of Hideyoshi's messenger entered the camp. "Ieyasu Tokugawa had been spotted near the village of Nagakute, and our allies there needed help."

"This is a dire situation, but a chance at the same time." Hideyoshi thought. All of a sudden, a certain Nagayoshi Mori also came inside the camp.

"Hideyoshi- _ _sama__ , I heard that Ieyasu had been spotted at Nagakute."

"That's what the messenger had told me."

"In that case, since our position was at the flank right now, let me help our allies by flanking the Tokugawa troops."

"Hmm, let's see..." Hideyoshi opened the battlefield map. "You're right, judging by our position, we could attack their flank, but, are you sure you're okay by yourself?"

"Don't worry, I'll be okay. I know my fallen brothers will also guide me."

"But, it won't hurt to have more reinforcements, right?" Suddenly Nagachika entered the camp. "Let me assist..."

All of a sudden, he felt a hand grabbing his, at first he thought that it was Chie, but judging from the power, he knew who did the obvious.

"Y...You...can't go..."

" _ _Ara__ , looks like your wife was still afraid of losing you. You'd better not disappoint her, Nomi- _ _san__ , just stay here and let me go by myself." Nagayoshi said.

"Well, I have no choice. I just hope that you didn't kill yourself there, because Hideyoshi- _ _sama__ still needed your power." Nagachika said.

"I promise I'll do my best." Nagayoshi said before exiting the camp, although the certain someone was still doubting the decision.

"Why do I feel something isn't right?"

* * *

 ** **A/N: That ends this chapter! Seriously, with so much work to do, and the Thesis Test approaching (I haven't apply for it, but if I want to graduate early, then I also had to anticipate that the test will be approaching too), my brain just jumbled and I've been utterly nervous everytime.****

 ** **Now with the secrets are out, from before, Hana suddenly became down, now, what will Nagachika and Chie do on this condition? And how would it affect all of them in the future?****

 ** **Next chapter will cover Battle of Nagakute and the Aftermath, also a bit intro for the Shikoku arc if it wasn't too long. Let's see if I could make it before May.****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited, Thank you and see you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	23. Battle 5- Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (4)

****Sorry for the two-month gap! Actually according to the previous chapter, I could post this on April or May. And since this is May, I guess I'm not breaking my promise. But again I still took too long for this chapter.**** ** _ _ **Hontou ni gomen-nasai!**__**

 ** **This chapter will cover the last of the Komaki-Nagakute Arc, and here is the blend of Historical, SW4, and my own idea for the part. And here also I'm introducing a new OC.****

 ** **Anyway, as for the reviews:****

 ** **RosyMiranto18**** ** **:**** ** _ _ **Are...hontou ni**__** ** **? Seems like I've got my information too narrow. Okay, for this fic, I'll assume Nobuteru and Tsuneoki are relatives instead of being the same person, since the rice had just become the porridge, since it was almost 3 months and it's going uneditable (or rather, I was lazy to edit)****

 ** **Good for me, Thesis is done and so do the defense and revision, so Thesis shouldn't be an obstacle, but who knows if another obstacle still existed on the future.****

 ** **Yeah, what do you expect? Though Hana won't know Hayakawa very well since they interacted only for two years or so thanks to the arranged marriage...****

 ** **Sorry, Takakage's explanation will not be in this chap, but it would rather be in the next chap since I think this chapter was already long enough for me.****

 ** **It's open not to the whole Mouri clan. However Chie was close to Hana so she got the privilege to know, however there might be a lot of the clan knowing than not. Though, not all.****

 ** **Thanks for the support and the review!****

 ** **Scarlet 'n Blossom**** ** **: Blossom-**** ** _ _ **dono**__** **'** ** **s right, our story may share the same characters and was derived from the same story (or rather historical story). However that doesn't mean our plot should be the same, of course we could put our own ideas, like how Hana's reaction was when she met Hayakawa, I don't disagree with your kind of approach that Hana knew about Hayakawa's identity as her mother, it would even give a nice, alternative touch to my canon plot. And in return, I won't put Suzu as deep as yours (since I can't due to my lack of skill).****

 ** **Thanks for the support and the review!****

 ** **Guest (Catch)**** ** **: For you to say that, that gives me a breath of refreshing air, I was honored at the statement, while at the same time I was much more motivated not to discontinue this story and let this story flow until the end (although even I didn't know when, let's say about 35 or 40 chapters?)****

 ** **Thanks for the compliment!****

 ** **And, without further ado, here's the chapter!****

 ** **Disclaimer: Samurai Warriors belongs to KOEI, Aki Kimura and Natsuko Kimura belong to RosyMiranto18, Suzu Shiraishi belong to Scarlet 'n Blossom, the story plot and the OCs other than the said ones belong to me.****

Chapter 23: Battle of Komaki-Nagakute 4

* * *

-Hinokigane-

"Tsuneoki, what the hell are you thinking?" Hidemasa asked as he arrived at the ambush area, slaying the enemy ambushers on the way. "How did you fall into this trap?"

"S...Sorry, Hidemasa. I just thought that we could gain some advantage by claiming some areas of the Battlefield. Turns out that Ieyasu Tokugawa was much more cunning than I thought." Tsuneoki replied. "After all, it was actually Nobuteru's idea."

"Okay, cut all the excuses. As a highly officer of Hideyoshi- _ _sama__ , shouldn't you have known about Ieyasu Tokugawa and his intelligence? Luckily you didn't seem hurt, and the same goes for Shiraishi- _ _san__. I don't want to endure Toudou's wrath if she was hurt, you know?"

"Why Toudou? Aren't you older than him?"

"It goes farther than that. It might also affect our bonds with the other youngsters. Toudou's on a close bond with the Kimura siblings, Nomi, Kobayakawa, and even Ootani. If you don't want to risk our relationship with them, then just do our best to avoid enraging him, okay?" Hidemasa replied. "We may be older and more experienced, but you can't miss youngsters nowadays, which has more vigor and basic skills than us. Remember that."

"O...Okay." Tsuneoki replied.

As they talked, they continued to slay as much ambushers they have met. At last, the ambushers retreated. They might have huffed in relief for those, but not for the news coming after that.

"The main force of Tokugawa is coming on this direction, they numbered around 10.000 with 2.000 __ashigaru__." one of the messengers said.

"From the looks of it, they're probably trying to forge a path to our main camp." Hidemasa said. "In that case, we have to form a defense force. We did plan for one at Nagakute, together with Toudou, Shiraishi and Kimura. We should go back there."

And so, the Ikedas and Hidemasa Hori retreated to Nagakute, where they set up a defense point. Of course, Hidemasa also sent a messenger to ask for reinforcements to the main camp.

* * *

-A few days later, Ieyasu's force-

"My lord, it seems like their last general, Nagayoshi Mori had just left for Nagakute for reinforcing the defense there." A messenger said.

"Alright, news accepted." Ieyasu said, before turning to his appointed spy. "How about your report about the camp?"

"From the looks of it, it seems like the main camp was only filled with Hideyoshi and his bodyguards, however we also spotted Nagachika Nomi and his wife there, however I don't think they're on the condition of fighting." A Tokugawa spy reported. "I think their meeting with Hayakawa- _ _dono__ really shook them both."

"As I suspected, they seem to know each other." Ieyasu stated. "But it looks like her plan was a success, so that means the enemy forces in Hakusanmori had totally retreated."

"What should I do?" The spy asked.

"Call on Masahira's troops which resides in Hakusanmori, also Tadakatsu's troops which was hiding there too, to assault their main camp from there. Meanwhile, everyone else keep your focus on your surroundings, we don't know if they might put an ambush on us or not. Just stay alert." Ieyasu ordered.

And so they did as ordered, readying themselves for possible battles.

-Nagakute, a few days later-

"Tsuneoki, are you really serious about this?" Hidemasa said. "Remember, your choice is an extremely risky move to take."

"I'm really serious about this. I've done days of observation and I see no hidden tactics. What's more, Nagayoshi had been rendezvousing with us a few days before, and we readied our plan." Tsuneoki replied.

"Okay, okay, I get it. But I'm just saying, don't get carried away. And I don't think it would be that easy, so call for reinforcements if you think something is not right." Hidemasa ordered, not said. "We're be on the defense here."

"Alright, leave it to us."

"Then, let's go!" Tsuneoki said to his forces as they went to attack the Tokugawa forces, more specifically, the divisions led by none other than Naomasa Ii...

* * *

-Hideyoshi's Camp-

Inside one of the camps, Nagachika was accompanying his wife, who was sleeping after an hour of devastating outburst. As her husband, Nagachika knew very well this would happen, just he wasn't expecting her to be this depressed. She had cried and sobbed for an hour or so, muttering curses and beating herself for that time, even not letting Nagachika to talk to him, but not letting him go at the same time. However after an hour, she just go weak and slept on the bed, hands still holding Nagachika's. Nagachika, despite trying to stay still, somehow unexpectedly let slumber took him over too.

Chie, watching all of it, said nothing (of course, she's mute). But deep inside, she wondered if she could help them in some ways. Her heart aches looking at this commotion.

However, as she looked at them, she sensed something not right, like something is approaching them. And so she made her way to Hideyoshi's camp.

It was then a messenger approached the camp.

"My lord, a platoon of forces led by Tadakatsu Honda is approaching us from Hakusanmori!"

Of course, this made Hideyoshi stood up from his seat, and tried to gather as much forces to combat. However, Chie, hearing about this, suddenly let her instincts took over her and ran towards the approaching enemy forces, followed only by a few of her subordinates.

"Chie- _ _dono__ , wait!" Hideyoshi said. "Damn, she's in danger if she moved alone, and Nomi and Kobayakawa are unavailable right now. And it would be risky to send Hidetsugu. So what should I do..."

"My lord, reinforcements from Uesugi and Sanada are approaching us. They were likely to be on our side." Suddenly another messenger reported us.

"How long will they arrive?"

"About half an hour or so." the messenger said.

"Good, we'll be expecting them." Hideyoshi said. 'Chie- _ _dono,__ I hope you can withstand the attacks for that long.'

* * *

-Nagakute, Ieyasu's Troops-

"My lord, Ii's division was under attack." a messenger said. "Should we send reinforcements?"

Ieyasu thought for a bit.

'I respected their decision for the first move. As expected from a renowned general.' The leader thought. 'But, of all forces, why Ii? Why one of my four best generals? We've got much more weaker spots to attack if they really wanted to.'

Ieyasu's mind formed a lot of possibilities, before realizing one most possible thoughts.

'Come to think of it, the path towards the Ii was empty, and you can only access it from two places, the empty path I stated, and through Nagakute where the enemy were defending. '

'Then, what if, actually the enemy wanted the main force to support the Ii, and so they expected us to use the empty path? If so, then we could guess there's an ambush at that path. But combatting ambushers there shouldn't be a problem, right?'

"All right then, in that case," Ieyasu readied his main forces. "Make haste for Nagakute!"

"Eh?" Some soldiers was a bit confused on the decision. However, older and more experienced warriors knew why their lord chooses this decision.

And so they begun to move for Nagakute, and much specifically, using the path where Nagayoshi was not expecting at all.

* * *

-Near Hideyoshi's Camp-

" _ _There they are!__ " Chie thought to herself. Readying her sword and stance, she stood on the road between the approaching force and the camp.

As expected, a group of people began to approach her, and stopped after noticing her on the road.

"Does this girl searching for death? Standing here at our path?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Don't know, is that an enemy? Or our spy?" Another asked.

"I don't remember seeing a spy from Mouri." A veteran officer said, noticing the crest on her clothes. "She must've been an enemy. Let's go!"

"Wait!" Suddenly a sound came out from among the soldiers. However, the mighty sound of course could only come from one person, which is known for his skills on the Battlefield.

The person was none other than Tadakatsu Honda himself.

"This girl, she's not ordinary." Tadakatsu said. "She may look weak, but I could sense that she possessed an immense amount of willpower. She can't be defeated by mere rush and numbers alone."

"So, what should we do?"

All of a sudden, Chie's subordinates arrived at the scene, which made Tadakatsu smirk.

"Just battle her subordinates. Leave that girl for me. I'm going to test her will."

And so it goes, Tadakatsu battles Chie soundlessly, they let their weapons did the talking, while their subordinates clashed each other.

* * *

-Way to Nagakute-

"Okay, so if everything goes to plan, Ieyasu will be moving to support the Ii, given that he valued his subordinates highly and never risked them." Nagayoshi thought. "Of course, once he passed the road to Ii Division's camp, we can ambush him from here."

"My lord, my lord!" Suddenly a messenger ran in panic.

"Whoa, is something wrong?"

"The ambush failed! Ieyasu was sighted running towards here, instead!"

"W...What?" Nagayoshi's morale soon plummeted. "But how, doesn't he realize Ii's Division was in trouble?"

Nagayoshi never knew, that the Ii Division was led by none other than Naomasa Ii, one of the four great generals under Ieyasu Tokugawa, despite his young age. Being one of the strongest, Ieyasu knew that he could trust the young general.

That was a fatal miscalculation on Nagayoshi's part.

He had no time to think on his mistake since Ieyasu's main force is approaching him. As stated before, it consists of 10000 soldiers with 2000 additional __ashigaru__ , well, minus the Ii division. But still, compared to both Nagayoshi and Tsuneoki's forces, it was an enormous advantage for Ieyasu.

And it happened quite quickly. Nagayoshi's force fought bravely, but was in panic. As a result, Nagayoshi was shot off his horse and was killed. When this information reached Tsuneoki's forces, they were immensely demoralized, which caused a heavy counterattack from the Ii forces. They managed to take both Ikeda's head as a symbol of the victory.

* * *

-Near Hideyoshi's Main Camp, 29 minutes later-

"Slash!"

That one slash ended the harsh one-on-one duel within Tadakatsu Honda and Chie Kikkawa. Of course, being the less experienced and having weaker constitution, Chie couldn't help but to lose the duel. One slash from the renowned Tonbo-giri onto her waist area, and Chie fell on the battle.

Or so everyone might think. She was slashed, right, but she managed to maintain her consciousness thanks to her humongous amount of willpower. Her determination was extremely high that this attracts the well-known general.

"As I suspected, you got some guts and I respected your determination. However, you lacked experience and yet you posed yourself to stop me. As your enemy, I could call that a stupid move. But, if it's possible for us to meet again, I would like to test you one more time. Until then, you should survive." Tadakatsu said stoically.

It was actually seen that Tadakatsu knew his clean cut won't kill Chie, especially regarding the "willpower" and "determination" that we had stated earlier. Though, if others with weaker willpower and determination were cut, it would kill him/her in an instant. This is Tonbo-giri we're talking about.

Tadakatsu was just about to go back to his horse and continued the march, before suddenly a platoon of soldiers suddenly approached him from the direction of the camp.

"Y...You are..."

"With the name of love and justice, the Uesugi had arrived!" It was clearly obvious whose sound that is...

The troops immediately rushed for Tadakatsu. However, Tadakatsu managed to hold them off, before suddenly Ieyasu summoned him back to Nagakute, where the main force are located.

"Running away? No, This is Tadakatsu Honda we're talking about, there must've been some plans going on." Kanetsugu said, before darting his eyes onto the fallen girl. "That girl..."

"I'll take care of her, Kanetsugu- _ _sama__. For now, we have to meet Hideyoshi- _ _sama__ at his camp." his subordinate said. This subordinate of him was quite young, probably on his early twenties. He got short black hair, parted to side, and glowing sea blue eyes, a bit different from Hana's sapphire-turquoise and Hayakawa's turquoise eyes. He wore a light armor covered by a white sleeveless shirt and blue cloth hanging from the waist area. On his left hand were two short swords.

Okay, back to the current situation. The subordinate walked towards the fallen girl, crouched and carried her bridal style towards his carriage, earning some murmurs from some of his colleagues.

"Wow, look at that. Isn't it the first time I saw Irobe- _ _sama__ carrying a girl like that?"

"It's more than that, I could see from his face that his face looks gentle, I could guess he's attracted to the girl."

"I couldn't expect nothing less, actually. It's already time for Yuukita- _ _san__ to find a girl for his own."

Or something like that.

After putting Chie on his carriage, he told Kanetsugu that he was ready, and so they went on their way to Hideyoshi's main camp.

* * *

-Nagakute-

"What? Nagayoshi, Nobuteru and Tsuneoki had all been slain?"

"They were." A messenger said. "They planned an ambush on Ieyasu, but it ended in failure and so both forces are routed."

"Darn it." Hidemasa, which was setting himself up in Nagakute was stupefied. "They were my best colleagues, despite their stubbornness..."

"Hidemasa- _ _san__ , you shouldn't be down on this situation." Suddenly Natsuko interrupted him.

"But, how can you not be down, they're..."

"Actually, Natsuko might be right, Hori- _ _sama__." Suzu chimed in. "It would be better if we succeeded in our defense here at Nagakute, and so the three of them will be proud in the heavens, that their sacrifice didn't go to waste." Suzu said, frowning.

'Suzu must've been emotionally shaken. After all, Hidemasa's loss was almost like Suzu's, although its intensity was not even close than hers. Hidemasa lost three colleagues while Suzu lost her family, it is actually incomparable. But, for Suzu to say this kind of things, I must say she did a good job."

Their emotional speeches were interrupted by sounds of footsteps and horse footsteps nearing them. The main forces of Ieyasu Tokugawa was coming, and the defense of Nagakute was thin.

It should've been an unfair fight for Hideyoshi's forces. And for a few minutes it seems so. Hidemasa struggled on combating Sakakibara's forces, Takatora attempted to combat Ii's forces, while Suzu and Natsuko tag-teamed on battling the rest, including Sakai's forces. Tadakatsu Honda's forces are on the way.

So far, chances of the Hideyoshi's forces to survive was very low.

...

And it would remain low, if not for the sudden turn of events:

Suzu was battling the ninja forces under Hanzō Hattori, and she struggled as much since her stealthy moves were no match against Hanzō's, and so she couldn't escape a few deadly bruises on her part, much to Takatora's worry since she was actually hurt just a few days before.

This constant attacks would actually kill Suzu, if not for a certain ninja to suddenly stop Hanzō's final slaying move that was directed to Suzu.

"Sorry for the lateness." the figure said. "I'll take it from here."

Suzu's getting weak, but she managed to find out that a man, specifically a male ninja was reinforcing her.

"Y...You're..."

"Sasuke Sarutobi, nice to meet you. It should be hard for you to face __shishou__ on your own, but the same might be different for me, so get to cover and heal yourself."

" _ _A...Arigatou__ , Sarutobi- _ _san__." Suzu gratified before finding the nearest cover.

A few minutes later, Tadakatsu's forces finally made it to Nagakute, only to be stopped by a fierce attack from a warrior clad in reddish armor, with the crest of six golden coins.

"Yukimura Sanada shall turn the battle!"

* * *

-Hideyoshi's Camp-

"Greetings, Hideyoshi- _ _sama__ , in the name of justice, the Uesugi had arrived." Kanetsugu exclaimed and his forces, including him immediately bowed in respect.

"Ah, the Uesugi, I see." Hideyoshi said. "I am very grateful for the aid."

"Excuse me, what's with the commotion..." It seemed that Nagachika and Hana had just awaken from their slumber and were surprised to see unfamiliar faces on the camp. "W...Who are you."

"Relax, Hana. They probably were on our side."

"They were, to state the truth." Hideyoshi said. "They were giving us some help for this confrontation."

"Oh, then," Nagachika suddenly bowed. _"_ I'm Nagachika Nomi of the Mouri clan, and this is my wife, Shinhana Kobayakawa. __Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."__

"You shouldn't be that formal." Kanetsugu stated. "We're the forces of Uesugi of the North. I'm Kanetsugu Naoe, the right hand of the Uesugi, who will bring end to this chaos in the name of love and justice, and this is my subordinate, Yuukita Irobe."

" _ _Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu,__ Nomi- _ _sama__ , Kobayakawa- _ _dono__." The subordinate, named Yuukita Irobe, said gently as he bowed. "I'm Yuukita Irobe, you can call me Yuukita or Yuu, in short."

"For now, we're allies, and I just hope we can always maintain good ties with the Uesugi." Hideyoshi said.

"We hope to. Oh, and I just remembered." Yuu said. "Do the forces of Hideyoshi had a general which is female, having long brown hair, using a tengu sword, and was from the Mouri clan.

This shocked the entire members of Hideyoshi's forces in the camp at the moment. Everyone knows who Yuu referred to, but Hana was the one to say.

"T...That's Chie...What happened to her."

"I...I'm sorry to say, she had just confronted Ieyasu's general, Tadakatsu Honda, and was severely injured."

"W...What?" Hana suddenly cried an outburst. "H...How is she now? Where is she?"

"Hana, please relax for a bit." Nagachika said, convincing his wife to calm down, which is a hard task since the Hakusanmori incident.

"She was on my carriage. I've done everything I could as the first aid. But I can't do more than that, so I brought her here and I can only hope she could be cured." Yuu replied. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

"No problem. Though, If I should, I should've thanked you for carrying Chie here and taking care of her injuries. Who knows what will happen if you didn't show up." Nagachika replied. "For now, she will be taken care of here with the medics (I'm not sure if we can use this term)."

"You're welcome, Nomi- _ _sama.__ " Yuu replied. "Let me fetch her for you. Please excuse me, Kobayakawa- _ _dono__ , Kanetsugu- _ _sama__ , Hideyoshi- _ _sama__."

And with that, Yuu went on his carriage and took Chie from it, carried her bridal style again onto the camp, much to Nagachika's shock.

* * *

-Nagachika's PoV-

I must say, I was surprised when he carried the injured Chie back here.

No, not because an unknown man just carried our family, but rather, there are three things I was surprised about.

One, it was Chie's condition. Her breathing was still existent although ragged, that means she survived the cut. A cut by Tadakatsu Honda, the rumored general himself, and she seems like she could withstand it!

Two, the way Irobe- _ _san...__ I'm still a bit troubled to call him Yuu since we're just known each other...carried her was very gentle. I could sense that he really made sure he didn't hurt her in the process.

Three, Irobe- _ _san__ 's face, much to my surprise, was also fixated on Chie. The look he gave her was a really gentle and...how should I say...somehow __loving,__ although I think it's just he wanted to be friendly or so.

But, just with this three, I began to wonder: Does Irobe- _ _san__ have a crush on Chie?

* * *

-3rd Person's PoV-

"I can only help with covering her cuts, I can't do much more than that. I hope she could be cured well." Yuu said.

"That was already enough. We'll take it from here." Hideyoshi said. "You did a great job, Irobe- _ _san__."

"I am not suitable for your praises, Hideyoshi- _ _sama__ , please redirect those to Kanetsugu- _ _sama__ , who had taught me about all of it."

And so with that, both forces of Hideyoshi and Uesugi stayed at the camp, and Chie was cured.

* * *

-Nagakute-

The battle in Nagakute was getting fierce. Now with the Sanada joining in the fray, the battle was turning into a stalemate, the power of each forces was getting balanced.

This time, however, Ieyasu got the first chance of meeting the prodigy of the Sanada.

"Hoo, if it isn't the son of the well-known Masayuki Sanada. Your fighting skills were also known even though you're still very young." Ieyasu said. "However, if this is how it becomes, we would stray too far from our way."

"Hm?"

"We can't inflict too much casualties on this battle. We would rather reach our goal peacefully."

"So, what do you want?"

"I think you all had suffered too much casualties, and so do ours, and this battle was yet to finish in unknown time. So, we will commence our retreat."

"No, you don't..."

"When my lord calls on retreat, then it's my job to protect it. Now scram before I cut you down." Tadakatsu forced a heavy paralyzing aura to his surroundings, stunned Hideyoshi's force for a while, and letting Ieyasu retreat.

A while later,

"They retreated." Hidemasa said. "We're not taking risk, let's go back to the camp."

And with that, the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute ended. The forces of Hideyoshi who was in Nagakute silently made their way back to the camp.

* * *

 ** **A/N: And that ends the chapter! Next chapter will cover the aftermath and will be a filler chapter since I usually did so between each battles, didn't I?****

 ** **Oh well, also at this time, introducing my new OC: Yuukita Irobe**** ** **(**** ** **色部 優北**** ** **), whose allegiance was Uesugi and fights under Kanetsugu Naoe. Of course since it's an OC, he's not existent in the real world, and I am not sure about his desired lineage, but for now, I'll be taking him as the son of Nagazane Irobe, which makes him the grandson of Katsunaga Irobe of the Uesugi forces.****

 ** **The next chapter will be posted a bit longer, but that's not because of Thesis or anything, I was on a little business at Belitong Island (Belitung) and I had to prepare for graduation. What's more I'm still managing on numerous other fandoms other than Samurai Warriors, such as Angel Beats, Majikoi, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, Darling in the FRANXX, To Love-Ru, and recently Nagi no Asukara, which becomes my reference for Yuu's glowing blue eyes (green-blue or so). If you want to know how his eyes look like, just look at Hikari or Kaname (I think so do Chisaki) from that anime, and imagine it in 3D, that's how they look like. Juggling all of these fandoms should be a hard work, shouldn't it?****

 ** **Anyway, please R &R! Constructive reviews and critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited. Thank you and see you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	24. Under the Starry Sky, A Family's Love

****A/N: Another long wait, huh? Again, sorry about that, I just...have a minor setback on gathering the will to write in this holiday season. Forgive my insolence!****

 ** **This chapter will act as a filler between Komaki-Nagakute Arc and Shikoku Arc. And since I'm out of idea, this chapter might be shorter than before.****

 ** **Anyway, for the reviews****

 ** **RosyMiranto18:****

 ** **Well, Kuroshio-**** ** _ _ **sama**__** ** **, you probably could reread it again. It is true that Tokugawa that appointed Hayakawa-**** ** _ _ **dono**__** ** **there which causes the family to meet, but actually it was Hayakawa-**** ** _ _ **dono**__** **'** ** **s idea, since she had already recognized the officers approaching them.****

 ** **And Chie was desperate to help as a part of Hideyoshi's forces, that caused her willpower to multiply in a great amount, though it was still not enough to par with the great general himself. Though Tadakatsu realized that Chie is still young and has some potential, and so he spared her so that they could face-off again with a stronger Chie.****

 ** **Aoi-**** ** _ _ **dono**__** ** **, it was quite obvious, isn't it? But it might not be as instant as it might look. Yuu did that out of care to others, but that doesn't mean that he was lovestruck that he might actually married Chie, it might take a few moments before that, though maybe Yuu found Chie to be quite attractive, he's a young single gentleman, after all.****

 ** **Physician...hmm...maybe it would be better to use that word.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Scarlet 'n Blossom:****

 ** **Take it easy, Blossom-**** ** _ _ **dono**__** ** **. It was already obvious, actually, no need to be guilty.****

 ** **Oh, Scarlet-**** ** _ _ **dono**__** ** **, the sword used by Chie is a type of Tengu Sword, like the one wielded by Munenori Yagyū on SW4, but in Chie's Rage Mode, it looks like fire is coming out of the sword, that's why it was called Phoenix Sword.****

 ** **Well, who knows? They look cute, but I wonder what will Chie think? She never met Yuu in person right, even though Yuu carried and first-cured her?****

 ** **Oh, he didn't? Sorry, never knowing much about Sasuke Sarutobi. Maybe I need to search more.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Here's the chapter!****

* * *

Chapter 24- 星空の下、家族の愛 ( _ _Hoshizora no Shita, Kazoku no Ai)__

(Under the Starry Sky, a Family's Love)

With the retreat of both Tokugawa and the Toyotomi Army due to the stalemate at Nagakute, the campaign in this two territories had come to an end. Though, there are some losses at the camp of Hideyoshi, including the loss of his retainers Tsuneoki Ikeda and Mori Nagayoshi. Luckily, the Mori family line still remained since Izumi's husband had taken the Mori name after the marriage, and her children eventually re-assembled the family line for the next generations, though Ikeda's still unknown.

Another loss is on the side of Hideyoshi's wife, Nene. Her paternal family of Kinoshita suffered heavy casualties, with her father also slain in battle. Hideyoshi had to refrain from flirting with other women temporarily (or actually have to be permanently) to prevent her from getting depressed.

For the Mouri clan, since they're only putting representatives, the damage was not severe, however, it costs quite dearly, Chie was still unconscious due to the deadly cut on her upper waist area, Hana was emotionally depressed after learning the truth of her lineage, and Nagachika was beating himself for not being able to protect Hana emotionally.

Of course this wouldn't go unnoticed by the leader himself. As on cue, Hideyoshi decided to send the Mouri representatives back to Aki for a while, and thought about a way to end the conflict with the Tokugawa Army, and also maintaining the current alliance.

* * *

-Aki, A few days later-

-Time: around 17.00-

" _ _S...Sumimasen deshita!"__ Nagachika quickly made his way to the meeting room, where Takakage had been waiting.

Takakage, being as calm as he usually was, turned towards the (not exactly) young man who was bowing in front of him, confusion was seen on his face. "Nagachika, calm down, what happened?"

"I..."

"Father...is it true?" Suddenly Hana barged into the meeting room also.

"Hana?"

"Is it true, that before you married mother, you had an affair with a lady from the Houjou clan? And I was born from that affair?"

That sentence quickly struck deep inside Takakage. Luckily no one other than the three of them heard that accusation or else he might not be able to maintain his dignity. Of course Takakage knew instantly what did Hana refer to, and with the bowing Nagachika beside his daughter, he might be able to deduce what's going on with the battle. "So, you did meet her after all."

"So, it's true then." Hana hung her head low, depressed on the fact. Looking at this, Nagachika felt extremely sad, and so do Takakage.

"To say that it's an affair, it might be an exaggeration, but sadly, it's nearly true." Takakage continued. "My marriage to Toida- _ _dono__ was a political one, and we haven't met for long. And, regarding Hayakawa- _ _dono__." Takakage sighed. "This might be a long explanation. Nagachika, you might want to hear about this too."

" _ _H...Hai!__ Takakage- _ _sama__."

Takakage then told his daughter and his son-in-law about what happened during the younger times of himself, when Mouri and Houjou surprisingly made an alliance, despite their distance. He also reminisced about his times with the lady of the Houjou, or we could also say Hana's birth mother. From there, Nagachika could deduce the fact that actually his father-in-law was not having an affair since he didn't cheat on Lady Toida, this is because Takakage's departure from the Houjou was far before he was introduced to Toida no Oukata. However, he also could deduce that the relationship with the lady of the Houjou ws illegal, and the child born from them would be considered forbidden or illegitimate.

Nagachika knew that his wife was not stupid, and, as he feared, his wife stormed out from the room.

"Hana, __matte kudasai!__ "

"Let her go, Nagachika, I want to ask you something." Takakage asked.

"But, Takakage- _ _sama__ , if I lost her now, then I will regret it for the rest of my life!" Nagachika quickly stood up. " _ _Sumimasen-deshita, demo, ittekimashita!__ "

And ran outside.

Inside the room, Takakage also felt a bit depressed on the commotion. Well, who won't be like that if you got your worries became reality? Or who won't be ashamed if his/her secrets were out, at the wrong time at that?

However, he knew this might happen, so he was not surprised, although he was a bit shocked on the sudden outburst.

With the secrets were out, now Hana knew the truth about herself, a dark truth, to be exact, and despite herself being an adult, she might be too immature for this kind of secrets.

Though, he forced to hide it with his usual smile.

* * *

-Garden-

-Nagachika's PoV-

I quickly ran outside my father-in-law's room and searched for Hana. Knowing Hana, she would probably be in either Chie's room, her old room, our room or the garden. Asking the nearby officers of Mouri, I quickly made my way to the garden.

And of course, as I had stated before, she was there, looking at the same direction as her usual, though I don't know if she knew the fact about the direction she's facing, which is somehow an irony.

"I knew you would be here, Hana." Nagachika said. "You made us all worried."

"It's okay, I know you'll find me here." Hana said, a bit playfully. Though behind those playfulness, Nagachika knew very well that there's a desperation behind those words, the real feelings that had cracked Hana's soul for these time being.

"It's just surprising, isn't it?" Nagachika said.

"Yeah, I never imagined it. To find out that the "mother" that had raised me here was not actually my mother, and to meet her all the way for those passing years. I don't know what to say.

"Hmm..." Nagachika said. "It's a bit too late for now, but actually, I really wanted to apologize for hiding the truth from you."

"I know, I know, I can't stay mad for too long, though I don't think I could ever forget this kind of thing." Hana said. "Since when did you know about my lineage?"

"Probably even before we're married. Takakage- _ _sama__ and my father told me about it."

"Eh, father, why?"

"For some purposes, mostly because they want me to protect you." Nagachika said, as he bowed in front of her. "And looks like I failed, sorry."

"Failed, what are you talking about?" Hana was looking at the bowing husband, before noticing that the ground he was facing began to be filled with drops of water.

She didn't have to strain her head out to know the fact in front of her, and it's one of the very few occasion that she had seen like this.

Nagachika...is crying.

"I'm no good. I promised you that I will protect you. I promised to make you happy, and I won't let you suffer. But..."

"Nagachika?"

"When you're depressed on meeting your mother, when you suddenly burst out on me and made you depressed, that was the last thing I wanted to do, and of course I have to avoid it."

"..."

"But, I can't, I can't even cheer you up. I am no guardian, I let you feel depressed. I really deserve my punishment. I broke the promise. I'm really...really sorry I failed you."

"..."

"Hana, did you think you deserve someone like me? Can you punish me for giving you nothing but sadness?"

"Nagachika, you're..."

"That was not true!" Suddenly they heard a very loud voice calling onto them. The couple turned to see, much to their surprise, a boy about 11 years of age, and a girl, a little younger from the boy. Of course, we all know it was none other than...

"Tadayasu? Natsuka? W...What are you doing here?" Hana asked.

"Yasu __ani-ue__ wanted to go out to the garden. He said that something is wrong and asked me to follow him." Natsuka replied. "I never knew that father and mother are here."

"I knew, and I knew something's going on." Tadayasu said. "I saw mom quickly run onto the direction of the garden, with her face looks like one who is going to cry."

"Eh?"

"I never expect Dad to be the one crying, though." Tadayasu smiled, before suddenly turning serious. "And I absolutely never expect that words to come out from Dad's mouth! What are you thinking, Dad?"

"Ya...Yasu?"

"Dad, you might be clumsy, and had very little time to spend with us. I know sometimes both you and Mom bickered. Even so..."

Tadayasu took a deep breath.

"Never say that you're a failure, just because of that silly mistake, which I even doubt if it's really a mistake or not." Tadayasu said. "You are a good dad for our family, and we're proud of having you. I will never expect Mr. Perfect, so I won't expect Dad to do no mistakes. This is not an exception."

"..."

"So, don't beat yourself, don't say you're a failure." Tadayasu said. "And as for Mom..."

Hana perked up at her son mentioning her. "I heard what Takakage __ojii-chan__ had said, something about your lineage or sort. Even before that, I had already suspected it since Toida __obaa-chan__ had hinted me before, though I wasn't sure myself." Tadayasu said. "Tsuka and I just want to say..."

"Hm?"

"We don't care who your mother is, or the fact that you're born as a forbidden child, but you're our mother and so be it. You had done so much for us. If not for you, I don't know if we could be like this right now. We will always be happy to have you as a mother. So, don't feel so downhearted." Tadayasu said, tearing up.

"Ta...Tadayasu..."

"Dad, Mom..." Natsuka chimed in. "Please, show us your best smile. I'm getting so sad if I saw either of you feeling sad. Cast away all your pain, we're always waiting for you. And now, with us together, can we just forget those scary things and let us smile our heart out?"

"Tsuka..." Hana said, also tearing up. "Nagachika, our children has grown up, and I know you heard their speech. So, I won't deny you as my husband and our children's father. I won't consider you as a failure. And..."

"And..."

"Sorry for my stubbornness and my lashes back on Hakusanmori. It was only because I was much or less shocked of the fact."

"I won't deny you on that." Nagachika said.

"Though, I don't know how should I face mom, I mean Toida __okaa-sama__ now that I knew the truth."

"Just act natural, even though you're not her birth daughter, she's still your father's wife, it changes nothing too much.

" _ _Arigatou__ , __dan'na-sama,"__ Hana said, earning a shocked look from the husband in mention.

"I never heard you called me with that, before."

"Just to emphasize that you're my beloved husband, isn't it okay?"

"Ah, you're right, __Tsuma-dono__.."

"Hey, that's new..."

"Ahem, both of you realize we're still here, aren't you?" Tadayasu called, earning blushes from the two adults, while Natsuka just giggled. "Anyway, can we ask you to follow us?"

"Eh, sure, why?"

" _ _Hi..mi..tsu..."__ Natsuka giggled.

Tadayasu immediately grabbed his father's right hand, while Natsuka grabbed her mother's left hand. With that in tow, Nagachika's left hand then grabbed Hana's right.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Tadayasu said.

Soon, they reached an open field where not much trees could be seen. Tadayasu and Natsuka quickly looked upwards, and, as if being signed, Nagachika and Hana followed suit.

What they saw mesmerized them in an instant.

It was some view that is very precious to see. There, they saw a carpet of stars filling up the glorious night sky. It was a rare sight to them, since their mind was usually out for battle every night, and moreover, it was even much prettier than the usual nights.

 _"_ _ _Kono yozora ni...hontou ni kirei...__ " Hana mumbled, but loud enough for the family to hear. " _ _Arigatou, Tadayasu, Natsuka__."

"I always wanted to see the night starry sky together like this, so when we got a chance, why not?"

" _ _Oh! Kagayaku hoshi (A shooting star)! Mite! Mite!"__ Natsuka cheered as she pointed on a shooting star. "C'mon, make a wish!"

"Ah..." Hana noticed the star. "Nagachika, do you want to make a wish?"

"No, I believe my wish would be the same as yours." Nagachika said. "Why don't you make one?"

As if believing on the shooting star wishes superstition, she made this wish:

 _ _Hoshizora no Shita, Kazoku no ai no naka ni, Watashi wa subete ga umaku ikitai...Onegaishimasu...__

(Under the starry sky, inside this family's love, I wish everything goes well...Please...)

Oh, how she always wanted to be with her family like this.

* * *

-A week later-

"Nagachika, Hana, can I have a moment?" Takakage suddenly summoned them to the meeting room.

"Yes, what is it, Takakage- _ _sama__?"

"There's somebody from the Uesugi who visited us this morning. He said that he knew both of you. Come in."

"U...Uesugi, you don't mean?" Nagachika thought, before the person that Nagachika had thought really came into the meeting room.

"Arigatou __nee,__ Kobayakawa- _ _sama.__ " The man bowed in front of Takakage, before facing the individual. "Fancy seeing you again, Nomi- _ _sama__ , Kobayakawa- _ _dono."__

Of course, it was him...

"I...Irobe- _ _san__?"

* * *

 ** **A/N: Sorry for the extremely short chapter. This is just a filler before our next Arc. Next Chapter will be filled with another filler like this, or maybe preparation for the Shikoku Arc. At first I wanted to skip Shikoku, but I guess I could use the Arc to strengthen the bond between the officers.****

 ** **Sorry for the cheesy plot and too much Japanese expressions which I doubt I used them correctly, my head's just being stirred up and I found myself actually become a weeb...whatever.****

 ** **Updates may not be too slow since my studies were done, but may not be too fast either since I got my German language course because of my plan of taking a Master degree in Germany. Moreover, I recently got a DW9 disc and began to play it like a maniac, and so I might be also returning to DW fandom again at one time, and reintroducing my OCs which were paired with 3 of the officers there (I know someone out there knew who one of them is).****

 ** **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited, Thank you and See you soon!****

 ** **Kage****


	25. Successful and Failed Negotiation

****Six Months...OMG...it's already more than six months since I updated this story. Sorry for the extreme delay. I'm still alive! I'm just having a hard time coping with my business.****

 ** **So, this might be the last chapter I write before I move out to Germany, but that doesn't mean I will not update this story in the future. Only then it might be harder for me to update there.****

 ** **As for the reviews:****

 ** **RosyMiranto18**** ** **: No, Nobuteru didn't survive since I think I had written that both have been slain. Or maybe if I forgot to put about it, I'll edit the chapter later on.****

 ** **Yeah, I agree...a secret out after 33 years. I personally could be extremely affected...I could understand how they feel.****

 ** **It's just a little hint. But Lady Toida knows that sooner or later, Tadayasu will figure out Hana's lineage by himself, and she aimed to let him figure out before Hayakawa-**** ** _ _ **dono**__** ** **entered the household so that Tadayasu won't be surprised. Moreover, Lady Toida wanted to know about Tadayasu's reaction, which looks like going to the right way.****

 ** **Oh, and Yuu-kun said hi to you too!****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **Scarlet 'n Blossom:**** ** **That's Tadayasu Nomi for you.****

 ** **Oh, about Chie and Yuu...Scarlet-**** ** _ _ **dono**__** ** **is right, it was too quick for proposal. However, lucky for you, this chapter also contains some of their early interactions.****

 ** **Thanks for the review!****

 ** **So now, let's zip to the chapter!****

 ** **Disclaimer: Aki Kimura, Natsuko Kimura and Asuka Reiki belongs to RosyMiranto18, Suzu Shiraishi belongs to Scarlet 'n Blossom, other OCs belong to me. (IDK if Senmaru is Scarlet 'n Blossom's or actually Canon). Some plots are taken from "Bell of the White Hare" by Scarlet 'n Blossom****

Chapter 25- A Successful Negotiation, A Failed Negotiation

* * *

-Nagachika's PoV-

"I-Irobe- _ _san__?"

My eyes didn't deceive me, the guy standing in front of me was the same guy that had rescued Chie at our last battle of Komaki-Nagakute.

Dressed in an informal white clothes, he just appeared right here, in Aki. He casually just appeared before us and so it would be explainable if we just find ourselves gaping at the said young'n.

"What? Is my hair a mess or something?" The guy asked, probably trying to kill the tenseness that appeared right around us.

"No, not that. It's just, why did you come here? Aren't you supposed to be with your lord and the Uesugi-s?"

The black-haired guy kept smiling, like he didn't even care about my questions.

"Actually, I came for two reasons."

Oh, seems like he did acknowledge my question after all.

"The first, I brought news from Oosaka that Ieyasu Tokugawa had accepted the peace treaty from Lord Hideyoshi, which means Tokugawa Army had allied with Hideyoshi."

"Well, that's good to hear. With that we won't have to oppose that tricky army anymore, I think." I said. "And, what's the second reason? Don't tell me this has something to do with the girl you saved from our last battle."

"U...Um...That's...well..." Irobe- _ _san'__ s face started to turn red on my accusation. So I was right, his arrival here has something to do with Chie.

"Relax, it's not like I'm going to kill you just yet. I'm just wondering myself. But, are you sure it will be a great idea?"

"And, what do you mean?"

"I mean, Chie was unconscious when you rescued her, and she had been like that even after we went back to Aki. Don't you think that she won't recognize you?"

"I guess, you got me there." he replied. "But, even so, I felt really guilty if I just left her before she recovered, I felt almost like I'm abandoning her."

"That means you didn't trust us for curing her?" I asked.

"Eh, no, of course not."

"Haha... _ _jodan-dayo__." I laughed. "Oh well, in short, you wanted to see how Chie is doing, didn't you?"

The guy nodded. Looking at his determination like this, even crossing the land and sea just to meet her, I guess, either he really is a responsible and gullible person, or he already saw Chie as something else.

Or maybe both...

Well I'm not Chie's father or brother or any of her close family, so I have no right to stop him from meeting Chie, though, I guess as one of Chie's closest friends (we're far cousins outright, actually), I can't just leave him be. Chie's a special case outright, and so I won't risk her getting hurt or something like that.

For now, I guess I should grant him his wishes, then, let's see what happens.

"Then, let me ask you something."

"Sure, Nomi- _ _dono.__ What is it?"

"Can you cope with a special case...like..."

* * *

-On a Ship en route Oosaka-

On the waters that separated Shikoku with the mainland of Honshu, a ship was visible going onto the North, on the direction of Oosaka.

Inside the ship was a familiar young man who had been known as a genius prodigy. Known as the " _ _Shikoku no Tensai__ ", the guy boarded the ship to meet his lord.

But he wasn't alone. Together with him was a young lady who he had met from Kyoto. It was a sudden meeting while the guy, known as Aki Kimura, stopped for a few days stay at the city, almost drinking his despair off.

What happened at that time, really?

- _ _Flashback-__

 _ _Aki Kimura left the island of Shikoku, to a city known as Kyoto, in despair. His negotiation with his old friend and the daimyou of Tosa, Motochika Chousokabe, as a representative to Hideyoshi, was turning into the negative result.__

 _ _Or, using a little harsher language, the negotiation has failed. Motochika rejected Aki's proposal of surrendering to Hideyoshi, and choose not to join up with him.__

 _ _That result was actually very expected by the genius prodigy, and yet even if he had known, he still couldn't contain the guilt that built up in his body, like debris and sand which slowly turning into a scar that stings his body whole.__

 _ _As a result, when he stayed in Kyoto, he can't help but not thinking things quite rationally, and by the day before his journey back, he tried to drink himself out of his guilty conscience, which didn't go unnoticed by a certain lady which was on the scene at the moment.__

 _ _Just at the moment before he even took the cup, one hand stopped him from doing so.__

 _"_ _ _It looks like something's troubling you, no?" A lady, whose hand prevented Aki from the regretful decision, talked to him. "Sake is not a way out for your troubles, Sir."__

 _ _Aki felt the sudden surge of stopping power and faced the person who stopped him.__

 _"_ _ _Thank you for your concern, madam, I'm sorry to be rude, but I wonder if I could as well know about you?"__

 _ _The lady released her hand from Aki's, and politely introduced herself.__

 _"_ _ _Watashi no namae wa Reiki Asuka-desu. (My name is Asuka Reiki.)"__

 _"_ _ _My name is Aki Kimura. Hajimemashite, Reiki-san." Aki politely replied with his own introduction.__

 _"_ _ _Hajimemashite, Kimura-dono." Asuka replied, while noticing the badge and Aki's outfit. "Looking at your uniform and the fact that there's a Hashiba flag passing by Kyōto, I was intrigued. So you should've been a member of his forces. Oh, and it seemed to me that you're just travelled far, and looks unsatisfied, am I right?"__

 _ _Aki didn't respond, as he was astonished on how the young woman actually knew all about what happened to him at the moment. The said young woman called on the waiter, requesting him to swap Aki's sake with some warm tea for themselves, and sat just next to the young prodigy.__

 _"_ _ _Well, you're simply right. That pretty much covers it."__

 _"_ _ _I wonder if I could do anything to lighten your load? You really need some help."__

 _ _That sentence stopped Aki from sipping his tea, and glanced at the young woman for awhile, curious at her offer. "Are you seriously saying that, even to a guy you had really just met?"__

 _ _Asuka shrugged. "Well, it has come out from my mouth so I really mean it, since I won't say anything I don't want. Moreover, it looks like I'm attracted to you."__

 _ _That sentence made Aki blush for a bit, although he tried his best to hide it. However his face turned serious again as he also folded his arms in front of him. "Then, can I request something to you?"__

 _"_ _ _Sure, what do you want?"__

 _"_ _ _I want you to accompany me to Ōsaka, there's something I want you to help me with."__

-End Flashback-

"You look quite distressed." Asuka said as he approached the young man. "You need to calm down, Kimura- _ _san__."

"I was just worried, about what I should say to Lord Hideyoshi. I had volunteered myself, and he had trusted me, and look what the result is."

"In this chaotic times, you might not be sure about anything. And don't worry, I'm sure a failed negotiation won't just exterminate you. You need to think much more positive onward." Asuka said, holding Aki's hands and smiled onto him. "Though, I could think of the real "punishment" by your Lord.

"But,didn't you say..."

"No,not for you, but for your friend at Shikoku." Asuka said. "Hideyoshi's name and prestige had been known throughout the land, that includes the alliance with Ieyasu Tokugawa and the big portion of this Land they had conquered. The fact that you had been sent to Shikoku, and still being turned down on the negotiation, it would be possible that Hideyoshi will send a big battalion to conquer your friend's land."

"That's pretty logical." Aki said.

"Well it's easy just to think about that." Asuka replied. "Anyway, while waiting for us to reach the destination, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Can you tell me more about the person you want me to take care?"

* * *

-Back to the Mouri's Place-

"Chie, I'm going in." Hana called as she opened the door and the curtains to Chie's room. Inside was Chie, sitting on the bed, still covered in her clothes but some are covered in bandages, especially the stomach and waist part.

Chie just smiled, but her face changed into a confused one as she saw an unfamiliar person's face with them. " _ _Who's that?__ " she gestured.

"Well, this guy is..."

"Wait, if it is okay, let me introduce myself." Yuu suddenly stopped her, then tried to approach Chie's hand. Of course since Chie didn't know about this man, then she hid her hands behind her back.

Nagachika knew what Yuu was trying to do. "It's okay, Chie. He's not our enemy." Nagachika assured her. Hearing this, Chie finally let Yuu took her hand. And so he began to write down his name.

" _ _The name is Yuukita Irobe, you can call me Yuu in short. Nice to meet you, Kikkawa-dono"__

Hana couldn't miss the sudden smile and a faint blush Chie was showing, and she also saw that Chie began to respond.

 _"_ _ _Chie Kikkawa. Nice to meet you, Irobe-sama"__

"I don't get it." Hana said. "Why didn't Yuu introduced himself normally to Chie?"

"I don't know about his real intention. But I think that was a form of respect." Nagachika explained. "Yuu had just known that Chie is mute, and he knew he didn't. However, just talking to her directly as a stranger while knowing her disability was very impolite, that means he didn't respect her. By trying to adapt himself with her muteness, he respected her and wanted to adapt himself so Chie wouldn't feel marginalized."

"Ah, I got it." Hana said. "But, to think that this Irobe guy would do something this far..."

"I assume you actually know what can be possible out of this scenario, haven't you?"

Hana's face showed a smirk, before leaning in to Nagachika's ear.

"Let's leave the two of them for now."

"Maybe that's too quick. For now just keep them under our supervision. You can prank on them much later." Nagachika said.

And the two just keep watching Yuu and Chie exchanging chats with the write-in-hand method for quite a long time.

* * *

-Oosaka-

Back in Oosaka, Aki and his newly-found friend, Asuka, had just arrived. Of course, being a doting and childish sister, Natsuko had already waited for her brother's arrival at the pier.

"I'm back!"

" _ _Okaerinasai, onii-chan!__ " come a such usual, familiar, and of course childishly-toned greetings from the childish young woman (hehe, spare me, Natsuko XD). "I've been waiting for too long, and days were getting boring here without you, __onii-chan__. Let's go somewhere or play with Suzu- _ _chan__!"

"You know very much that I'm tired, Natsuko." Aki replied. "Now, can you just let me meet Hideyoshi- _ _sama__ then let me take a rest?"

"But...but..."

"I know how your brother feels like now, Aki's little sister. He was just after a very long journey back and forth, and what he needs more right now is some well-taken rest. Why don't you just let him be and probably play with me?"

"It's Natsuko, miss...Eh?" Natsuko's eyes darted from her brother towards the lady that had accompanied her brother. Her voice sounded soft and radiated kindness. Though, that doesn't hide the fact that Natsuko is utterly surprised.

" _ _C...Chotto matte kudasai! Omae wa dare?__ What do you want with my brother? _"_

Asuka just chuckled at Natsuko's sudden burst. Discarding the fact that the young lady just burst out rudely at her, she knew why Natsuko asked like that. After all, who won't be surprised if his/her relative was going out somewhere alone and suddenly went back with another person without him/her knowing who the person is.

"Calm down, Natsuko- _ _chan__." Asuka replied. "I'm Reiki Asuka, I'm just a common civilian of Kyoto, and I came here because your brother wanted me to. Nice to meet you, Natsuko- _ _chan__."

"A..Aa..." Natsuko was surprised. "It's not like brother to bring back a girl here, let alone the fact that he wanted to...Don't tell me...he...and you..."

Asuka stayed calm, even though she knew very well what Natsuko had implied. "We might not go that far yet. For now, I hope we could just get along well."

Natsuko still had thousands of questions regarding this new face, but maybe she could save it for later. After all she can't be too annoying...

"Maybe if you could help me, could you accompany your brother and I to Lord Hideyoshi's place?"

* * *

-Toudou Residence-

"Here's your tea." A soft, fragile voice was heard by the cold, stoic Toudou family member of the residence.

"Ah, Thank You, Suzu." he replied. "Well, I'm not implying anything bad, but we're not on the tea ceremony again. You don't have to be so rigid."

" _ _Ah...S...Sumimasen, Takatora-sama__ " Suzu said. "It's just, Sen no Rikyuu was so strict that his teachings just stuck inside my head."

"Point taken. I'm not blaming anyone, not even you of course. I just want you to relax for a bit..."

"I should have said the same for you." Suzu said, chuckling, as she knew how "unique" his husband's personality when it comes to "relax", because she knew Takatora is worse than her.

"Hmph." Takatora mocked a glare before sipping the tea his wife had made him.

"I heard that Kimura- _ _san__ had come back from Shikoku."

"Yeah, I know that." The ever-stoic person replied nonchalantly.

"Natsuko told me that he came back with a young lady, and he didn't look happy, I wonder..."

Takatora just put the cup back and looked at his front, then downwards. His mind clearly was processing something.

"Should we go visit..."

"It would be better if we didn't." Takatora said. "Kimura has just been exhausted after that journey so just let him rest. Moreover..."

Takatora stood up, which confused his wife near him.

"Moreover?"

"I might as well be ready for another battle."

"Eh...Ehh?" Suzu was surprised by the statement given by her husband. "W...Why?"

"If Kimura doesn't look happy after that negotiation, that can only mean the negotiation has failed, and since Lord Hideyoshi was trying to unite this land, then...I know you're smart enough to deduce it by yourself."

Suzu came to a realization and nodded. "I got it."

"Mom! Dad! How was this?" A child's voice emerged from their back. The two turned to see a kid holding a kind of fine works on his hand. It was not very good, but not bad either. To be honest, it is pretty good for a kid his age.

"Wow, that's pretty good, Senmaru!" Suzu exclaimed happily.

"Thanks Mom, but I think I messed up here." The kid known as Senmaru replied.

Suzu just approached and petted him. "Here, let me help you," and proceeded to help him with the crafting.

Takatora, looking at the sudden turn of events, just huffed, and, with an almost invisible smile, joined the family session.

* * *

-At the same time, at Hideyoshi's-

"So, i...it seems like it's not...ouch...that easy." Hideyoshi said, still wincing in pain after a sudden hit by his wife Nene, since he somehow tried to woo the newcomer lady that came with the young prodigy.

"I know, I'm sorry I failed you. And to think I should have been convincing enough for this task...to be self-esteemed enough..."

"You had done your very best, Aki. I know it." Asuka tried to comfort him.

"The girl's right, Aki. It's not your fault that he declined our offer. It was their choice after all." Hideyoshi added. "But if this was the case, we all know the measures I had to take, right?"

Aki frowned, since he knew about this.

"I know you can't hold this, Aki. But, to quell the chaos of the land, we have no choice but to ensure the union under us. I want you to take your most comfortable rest. When the time comes..."

The sentence was a harsh music to Aki's ear, but he knew there's no other way.

"We will launch a campaign against Shikoku, and we'll take it under our banner."

-To Be Continued-

* * *

 **Alright. That's it for dis chapter! I hope it doesn't suck!**

 **Please R &R! Constructive Reviews and Critics are appreciated while flames are prohibited.**

 **Thank you and see you soon!**

 **Kage**

 **P.S: I am now actually more active in Wattpad, in the Mobile Legends fandom. You could add me at Hayashinkage17 there in Wattpad. See you there too! Me and my two other counterparts are waiting for you there!  
**


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